Stumble Through the Dark
by Gabumon Noodles
Summary: When Riza gets brutally raped and tortured, will Roy be able to help her through her darkest hours?
1. Party Invitation

**All right, here it is: a first true angsty FMA fanfic attempt. xD  
Thorough critique is not required, but recommended and loved (even if they are criticisms) because I repeat, it's my first try at sad stories…no flames! :P**

**Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa is the "golden calf idol" of Fullmetal Alchemist…me no own any of it…**

Stumble Through the Dark

Party Invitation

For once, Roy Mustang zipped through his paperwork without a single peep of complaint. His mind was too elated with content and the general air of a good mood to dread over the paperwork. Just a few days ago, Roy and his military unit were garnered with much praise from the Amestrian military and civilians alike for their extremely selfless service to the country. Since they had been so efficient and influential in eliminating the corrupt high military, a grand award ceremony was held shortly after the chaotic events. Each officer who participated in the battles bumped up a rank, those who have gallantly died in the line of duty were promoted by two, and all of Mustang's trusty unit was shifted up by not one, not two, but _three_ ranks.

In only over a night, Fuery moved from Staff Sergeant to First Lieutenant, 2nd lieutenants Breda and Havoc to Major and Warrant Officer Falman to 1st lieutenant as well. First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was promoted to being a Lieutenant Colonel, the same rank as Hughes before he became Brigadier General upon his death. And last but certainly not the least: Roy was granted the highly respected status of Field Marshal, an officer only second to the Fuhrer himself.

Although Riza now had her own subordinates, she often stopped by at her ex-colonel's office to make sure he wasn't lonely (but mainly to check up on his paper signing duties as well.) Everytime the big office room lacked in Hawkeye's presence, the big boys couldn't help but cut some slack. To be precise, majorly overboard slack. It has only been two days, but Roy's untouched paperwork piled up and festered on his desk like a clump of vegetables a kid would slip discreetly under the family table. Things would never get done on time unless Riza dropped in with a threatening firearm in her hand.

But there was no need for that today. Tonight was supposed to be a big party over at Madame Christmas's to kick off the promotion celebration. So Roy and his men did their best to finish their office routines as quickly as possible. When Riza swung open the door, she expected startled jumps and gasps, bugged-out eyes that said "there was paperwork!" and the like. But she was surprised when none of those reactions greeted her. Her former co-workers and superior looked up from their paperwork and tried not to guffaw out loud at the new Lieutenant Colonel's shocked face.

"Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel. How are you doing on this looovely and productive day?" Havoc had to bite down hard on his cigarette to keep from laughing.

"Tell me I'm hallucinating." Hawkeye shook her head in mock admiration. "My lazy boys actually getting something done? This calls for a _big_ encore."

"Indeed." Roy grimaced. "But as you can see, we are doing just fine. Surprised you didn't catch me napping and distributing drool all over my desk?"

"Very funny, sir." Riza grunted. "I have to admit, it's nice to see all of you doing what's right for a change. But you'll have to do better than that; even my subordinates who are three years younger can do twice as much work as you bad boys."

"I knew you would put us down somehow." Roy smiled wryly. "But it's not enough to drown me, because we're going to p-a-r-t-y!"

It was Riza's turn to smirk."So that's why you're trying to get all this work done, isn't it?"

"Of course!" Breda exclaimed. "We wouldn't miss a party for the whole damn world!"

Fuery looked equally excited. "Yes, and it'll be my first chance to drink beer and wine and champagne!"

Suddenly the entire room went dead silent. Havoc gawked at Fuery as if he sprouted three heads. Fuery shrank from all the appalled stares and blushed madly.

"Whaat? My parents are crazy about allowing me to consume that stuff. But now I got promoted, so they're letting me!"

"A-are you sure you're human? An officer who's an alcohol virgin is an alien!" Havoc declared.

"Yeah yeah yeah." Fuery grumbled as everyone, even Hawkeye, enjoyed a good laugh.

Breda glanced at his watch and started packing away his things with gusto.

"It's 3:15...I don't know about you guys, but I'm itching to try on that new tuxedo I bought a month ago."

Havoc followed suit. "With all the food you've been eating lately, I think you've outgrown it by now."

"Shut up! I did not!" Breda slapped a hefty stack of paperwork across Havoc's skull.

"I ordered it a size bigger in advance just in case. There, ya satisfied?"

Riza smiled inwardly as they argued and laughed. She actually missed hanging around them. She missed enduring their clumsy, hapless adventures, the most memorable one being a "slumber party" to the phantom 13th warehouse. Her own subordinates, dutiful and responsible as herself, were too...perfect. Sure, they always get their work done on time, but they all seemed to be scared witless by her. They also severely lacked in any sense of humor or carefreeness. Riza even attempted to crack a joke about how she used to pottytrain Black Hayate, and all she could get out of them were nervous laughs. To bluntly put it, they were downright boring.

Roy signed the last of his documents and slapped it on the finished pile in triumph.

"All right! I am so ready to kick off that party! Lieutenant Colonel, you coming?"

Riza felt a strangely uncomfortable stirring in her insides. She was not one to indulge nor take part in casual social gatherings. She shook her head. "I'll pass. I've got a lot of work to finish at home."

"Like what? Feed Black Hayate?" Roy chuckled. "You should take a break and enjoy the night with us. It'll be a blast."

Riza shook her head once more, this time with more stubborness.

"I thought I told you, sir, that I'm too busy tonight." she said bluntly. Her face suddenly lost the cheerfulness, and her mouth was set in a tight, narrow line. The irritation was clearly evident.  
"You boys go on and enjoy the rest of your evening. Goodbye."

With that, she turned heel and headed out the door in swift, brisk steps.

The men's eyes followed her out, then they stared at the door in shocked silence. Finally, Havoc whistled in disbelief.

"Holy shit, Mustang. She looked like you stabbed her hand with a pencil or something. I guess she ain't coming after all."

Roy shrugged nonchalantly. "Ah well, maybe she's just tired from today. It's not the first time she rejected a party invitation."

Suddenly he felt bad about putting up a cool front in front of his men. Deep inside he was genuinely worried for Riza, and this party wasn't just any old get-together to drink your asses off. It was a gathering to commemorate personal achievements and enjoy a fun night as promoted soldiers, but at the same time as equal friends. Roy felt it would be a shame for Riza to miss out on such an opportunity to relax.

'I'll talk with her alone later.' he thought to himself. 'Maybe if she gets proper rest at home, she'll change her mind.'

Roy looked up from his desk, wondering why the room suddenly grew quiet. Then he saw the empty, askew chairs and figured that his men had already packed up and slipped through the door while Roy was musing to himself. 'Guess I should lay off early, too.' he thought. As he was setting to go, Roy made a mental note to stop by at Riza's apartment after dressing up.


	2. Argument and Assault

**Warning: If you don't have the guts to read through material relating to sexual assault and/or detailed violence, you don't have to read through all of it…but since you came upon this story I assumed that you searched through the angst mature genre to get to it, so I'm hoping you can handle it.**

**I'm no medical expert nor experienced a first-hand account on sexual assault, so if it starts to sound unrealistic or even too gruesome, forgiiiive me! I selected my words carefully and wrote to the best of my ability, so I really hope you'll get something out of this chapter.**

Wow…I skimmed back at this fic and realized how many typos and spelling errors I had back then. I'm so embarrassed. :3 I'm going through each chapter to fix them so you can really enjoy this story. :)

Stumble Through the Dark (2)

Argument and Assault

Riza tried to leave headquarters as fast as she could. She didn't allow anyone to stop and chat with her. Her mind was muddled and churned like a flash flood despite her calm, controlled demeanour. She simply couldn't understand men and their insatiable love for partying. As far as she was concerned, it was only going to be another long night that involved overwhelming doses of vodka; not to mention loud, obnoxious singing and flirting with the female bartenders. In fact, she figured the men would be so drunk that they would sleep overnight at the bar and show up to work still reeking with liquor and sporting bedheads.

Even if the party was a tad more decent and formal because of the occasion, she would still hate to go. Miniskirts were bad enough to make her legs feel naked (which they _are_ when you wear one), but flowing, extravagant dresses and gowns made her sick. Just looking at pretty but unnecessary ribbons and glitter on the darn things make her want to chuck them out a window.

The only dress she ever had in her life was a cute blouse-like gown given by her eccentric grandfather. But that was during her sixth birthday, and by now it was most likely collecting dust in her closet after that one time of being forced to wear it. She planned to give it away to little Elysia once she was old enough. Back in Roy's office she claimed that she had too much work, and she mentally slapped herself for lying through her teeth in front of everyone.

But then again, she was desperate to evade yet another party invitation and just lounge around at home like she has always done. Riza was so concentrated on her thoughts that she neglected her sense of direction. As she rounded a corner, Riza accidentally bumped into one of her new subordinates. Upon seeing her, the young soldier looked like he just wet his pants. His arm shook wildly as he attempted a weak salute.

"F-f-forgive me, Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye, sir!" he stammered. "Please excuse my clumsi-"

"Think nothing of it. Carry on." she replied tersely.

Before the young officer had a chance to speak any further, Riza was already well down the hallway. She unconsciously put a hand to her forehead as she walked on.

'I need to get home, and fast.' she thought. 'Otherwise people in this building will think I'm sick or crazy or something.'

Riza reached an empty lot where Black Hayate romped around chasing after butterflies. The dog gave up on his little chase and followed dutifully after his master. Riza has trained him enough to a point that she didn't need to monitor him with a leash when she walked. As soon as she made it past headquarter boundaries, Riza shed her military jacket and unclipped her hair to let it cascade down her shoulders. Her apartment wasn't terribly far, and Riza preferred walking in fresh, cool air over driving in a closed, stifled atmosphere. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly, flushing out her turbulent thoughts along with it.

'All I need is a nap...a good, long one. Hopefully it'll be so long, the party will be over by the time I wake up.'

But in her mind Riza knew that it wouldn't be possible. She was a light sleeper, and it was due to her vigilant night shifts as a sniper during the Ishbal civil war. This time she stopped at a lamp post and brought both hands to her head. Hayate halted at her side and whined inquiringly.

'I've never felt so negative.' she thought. 'Damn Mustang, he's got me all worked up over some stupid party.'

And with that, Riza shut her eyes in concentration and ran down the sidewalk. Hayate barked in exultation and took off in pursuit behind her. For the rest of the way home she kept that consistent, steady pace. She had her extensive military training to thank for; by the time she stopped by her destination she was barely breaking a sweat, nor did her leg muscles ache that much. Riza mechanically opened the door, shut it, headed to her bedroom and promptly collapsed onto the bed. Without even bothering to pull the sheets over her body, she remained in that same sprawled position and closed her eyes. Sleep crept into her without any trouble at all.

It was Riza's aching stomach that brought her out of the numb, dreamless nap. Then she felt Hayate's paws scrabbling at the bedside as he whined yearningly. She glanced at her alarm clock at the nightstand. The southeast position of the little hand told her it was nearly 5:00. Riza felt a twinge of disappointment and stretched. Darn it, she thought that she would sleep through the entire afternoon and night. She had completely forgotten about the hunger factor. Of course wanting dinner or a bite to eat would wake her up sooner or later. Riza walked over to the kitchen and checked the fridge. To her dismay, it was devoid of any kind of edible material. She looked down at Hayate, whose tail wagged eagerly at the prospect of eating dinner right now.

"Sorry, boy. The fridge is totally empty, but it wouldn't hurt to take a trip to the store. I need to take you on your afternoon walk anyway."

Hayate's ears drooped a little when it was clear that his master hasn't handed anything out yet. But then he perked up hopefully when he saw Riza grab her messenger bag and a light sweater. He bounded to her side and his tail swished from side to side furiously. She was about to head to the door when a knock sounded out.

'How convenient.' she thought. She moved to answer it, and her eyes widened a little at the sight before her.

"Erm, hello Lieutenant. I just came to wonder if you changed your mind?"

It was Roy Mustang, except that he was dressed in a most elegant manner she has ever seen. There he was, clad in a crisp, black tuxedo that he probably spent half of his bet money (which was very abundant to his lucky streak in winning them) to purchase. His jet black hair that's normally messy was neatly combed for the occasion. Riza could also get a whiff of some pleasant, masculine cologne that nearly brought color to her cheeks. All in all, Roy looked rather dashing and handsome this evening. She was speechless for a moment, but she collected herself quickly and resumed her stoic persona. She inwardly hoped he didn't catch the way she gawked at his charming physique.

"Change my mind about what, sir?" Riza didn't want to jinx herself by confirming his question that could possibly be about the p-word. Roy stared at her as if it was plainly obvious.

"The party. At my adopted mother's bar." he said hesitantly. "I just wanted to know if you were still interested to come." he smiled lightly as he attempted to warm up to her. "Remember what I said about all you do on the weekend is feed Black Hayate? I'm sorry if my joke got down under your skin. Seriously though, the party will be fun. You really should come."

Riza's jaw clenched slightly and exhaled loudly. "Thank you for your persistent offer sir, but I'm still firmly sticking to my decision about staying home."

"How come you look like you're leaving then?" Roy didn't budge from his spot. He was a very stubborn man indeed.

"I was going to go shopping for groceries." she replied. "As you can see, I'm not of any proper state to attend any social event, sir."

Her patience for her former superior was beginning to slip. She was going to act as tenacious as him if she had any hope of driving him out of his apartment as quickly as possible.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Why can't you just dress up, come with me and then eat at the bar? They've got great food on the menus tonight, and it's a discount for officers."

"The only dress I have hasn't been used in 21 years, sir." she retorted. "And for your information, I've got better things to do than to drink and romp around all night."

"Enough with the sir, call me Roy for once, _Riza_." The new Field Marshal's composure was also slipping, and now his face held exasperated seriousness. He was sorely tempted to give her a piece of his mind. And he did.

"I know what your problem is. You work too hard. I bet you don't even know how to properly enjoy a holiday, or even know what the _word means_."

Riza's eyes narrowed dangerously and she unconsciously clenched her fists close to her sides. Her gaze bored into Roy's own glare, and the temperature between the two seemed to increase sharply. Hayate's head roved from his master to Roy as if he were watching an intense game of tennis. The canine thought he could see the very air around the two ripple with heat. Roy, however, wasn't finished.

"You say that it's hard to keep up with a relationship along with your job, right? I'm betting that's from a personal experience, and maybe you had a past boyfriend or something."

It took everything she had to conceal her shock from Roy. How did he guess that she actually led a love life, or used to, anyway? When she didn't attack him with another remark, he knew he hit the nail.

"And I'm also guessing that it didn't work out. How can any guy stick with you for a while when you scare the heck out of them? A female soldier toting guns and rejecting all manner of dresses isn't _normal_. It's the very essence of your 'anti-guy repellant'. Wouldn't attending a get-together with friends be a chance for you to do something normal for once? Normal for any other woman, at least? You tell me _that_, Riza."

Riza's jaws were clenched so tightly that her entire mouth ached. As she took in the impact of Roy's blunt criticism, she couldn't help but feel hurt about it. Roy had never spoken so harshly to her; even though the other time was berating her for going berserk on Lust upon hearing his assumed death. But this is different. This time he's berating her on her personal life, and Riza didn't like one bit of it. Like his flame alchemy, Roy only added fuel to the flames extinguished by her time at home but were now reignited.

Her answer came out gritted between her clenched teeth: "All right then, _Roy_. You may give me whatever order or command you can think of, but you have no right to discuss my personal issues and bring it out into the spotlight. I am fully aware of what you think are my character flaws. I hope you enjoy disappointment, because I'm not changing that anytime soon."

Then Riza took a firm, deliberate step forward as she shut the door behind her. Her body was only a few centimeters away from his as she glared up at him.

"Now if would excuse me sir, I will go on to do perfectly normal business." Riza's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Every normal woman loves to go shopping, wouldn't you agree?"

The severe intensity of Riza's eyes were enough to make Roy step to the side. She coldly brushed past his shoulder and walked on without looking back.

"Go on to the bar. You'll be late." she stated dismissively over her shoulder.

Hayate looked up at Roy for a moment before scampering off after Riza's wake. Riza didn't look back until her apartment and Roy's figure were well out of sight. Once she reached the store, she chose a nearby outside bench and flopped down on it. She sighed wearily and ran her fingers through her bangs. When it looked like Riza wouldn't get up anytime soon, Hayate curled himself at her feet and dozed off. She felt so angry with herself, angry for venting out her frustration at Roy when he took the time to visit her before the party. Yet she was also angry at him for not backing down when she declined his offer.

'If only he knew when to back off and catch the warning signs, this never would've happened.' she inwardly fumed. Then along with the rage came a flood of weary misery over her entire being. Maybe he was truly concerned about her social life, and he attempted to fix it. But then again, saying hurtful things definitely wasn't going to help.

All these conflicting feelings and thoughts made her head throb. The longer she remained on the bench, the more she let her sensitive side get the better of her. As she experienced flashbacks of Roy's accusing words, Riza felt even more miserable and vulnerable. Riza has always been a strong, unflinching woman with the fearless, rational mind of a well-trained soldier. There was no room for weakness and sensitivity. When ordinary women would easily dissolve into hysteria and tears upon a dangerous situation, Riza would simply find a solution with a calm, clear-thinking attitude.

She certainly wasn't a fan of romance novel shit. The damsel in distress, the ridiculously gallant hero, the corny one-liners and a too-perfect ending make her scoff at the seriously warped vision of reality. She always preferred realistic works of literature, the "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson being among her top favorites. It talked of a meager army of soldiers, knowing that their commander made a huge mistake in sending them into battle and their inevitable death. But theirs wasn't to question orders nor turn back, and they charged into the fray only to be slaughtered by the enemy. Riza greatly admired the poetic ring to the words when one reads it out loud; she also loved the powerful message to it and how strikingly similar it is to the real world of conflict. Once she tried to get Roy to read the poem and learn from its lesson so that it may encourage him to push forward. Push forward until he no longer had to obey orders and make his own right decisions. And she promised to stay by his side and carry out his orders till the last drop of her blood. Riza smiled to herself; the poem may as well be the story of their lives. She just hoped that the ending will come at a less tragic note.

Feeling slightly better, she rose, ordered Hayate to stay and got a shopping cart. She browsed along the fruit aisle and hovered thoughtfully over a batch of oranges. As soon as she selected the best candidate for ripeness, she was instantly reminded of her recent argument against Roy. It seemed silly now that she turned down his invitation in order to go shopping. Riza's heart sank at the prospect of her foolishness. She went through her shopping list mechanically and picked the items she needed without really paying attention.

'I've been a real bitch toward him, haven't I?' she thought to herself gloomily. 'I should sincerely apologize to him tomorrow morning as soon as I can.'

After paying for the groceries, she hauled all five bags in her two hands and made her way home. Hayate abandoned his post at the bench and skipped by Riza's side cheerfully at the sight of the bulging bags. She looked up and observed the sky: the dull, orange sun hid among wisps of dark purple clouds. Big and small stars alike began to shine their way through the rapidly darkening heavens. Riza estimated the time was about 7:00 or so. She didn't want to walk through Central in complete darkness, so she averted from the normal route home, which was long and winding. The road was perfect for a relaxing, breezy jog, but not when you wanted to get home in due time.

She decided to take a shortcut down a twist of alleys. The sinister shadows thrown across the ground and the looming buildings didn't faze Riza one bit. With her gun hidden in her bag, ready to use, Riza would be fully capable should anything go wrong. Hayate gazed upon the buildings that seemed to enclose around them and he howled lowly. His tail twitched nervously and jumped at the slightest nearby noise.

"Relax, Hayate." Riza said soothingly. "It's only the empty trash cans rattling in the wind."

Riza and Black Hayate continued down the narrow alleyway without a problem. For a long time the only sounds heard were the rustling of grocery bags and Hayate's paws padding on the ground. Suddenly, a louder noise seemed to shatter the rhythmic lull. Riza's head turned a little, but she didn't look too alarmed and moved on. The same noise was heard again, this time closer in hearing range. It sounded awfully suspicious, Riza thought she could detect the shuffling of feet. She paced herself with slower steps, her sharp eyes and ears at the ready. Just as she had predicted, the shuffling moved closer behind her every step. Riza abruptly halted in her tracks. The shuffling feet sounded so close that the next thing she heard was light breathing only a few feet behind her shoulders. Like greased lightning Riza whipped out her hand gun and brought it at arm's length away from her face. The source of the shuffling feet, a tall dark figure overcast in shadow, jumped back and raised his hands in alarm.

"Whoa there, Riza! No need to lash out your gun at everyone you see."

At the strangely familiar voice, Riza lowered the gun hesitantly but still kept light on her toes. The figure stepped forward until his face was basked in moonlight. Her eyes widened at the sight of a built young man with a thickset jaw, cropped blond hair and a wide dimply grin.

"You're not gonna shoot out your old boyfriend, are you now?"

"Seth?" Riza blinked.

In the months long gone, Riza once dated the professional wrestler that was Seth. She assumed that with his tough guy persona she would get along with him. But in the long run he proved to be short of Riza's expectations, and she politely declined their relationship. She remembered that he didn't take it very well, and she herself did all in her power to keep the entire history of it secret from her peers at work. His reappearance startled Riza, and she wondered why he suddenly decided to show up.

Seth spread his arms wide. "In the flesh. What are ya doing out here so late at night?"

Riza raised the grocery bags in a demonstrative gesture. "I needed to go restock. I can't let Hayate starve through the entire weekend. Plus I've got a ton of work to take care of at home."

Seth shook his head. "Same old Riza, still working your butt off like there's no tomorrow. Say, I heard that a bunch of soldiers are throwing a huge party a little way off. You not invited?"

"I just don't have the time for it." she replied. "It was nice talking to you Seth, but I really need to get home now." Riza moved forward only to be blocked by Seth as he quickly stepped in front of her.

"Whoa whoa, take it down a notch. We've got all night to talk."

Riza raised an eyebrow. "Talk about what, Seth?"

The young man met her eyes directly. "You know...about...keeping our relationship. If only you wouldn't take your job so seriously, it would've gone a lot better."

"Come now, Seth. You know that as a bodyguard I have to watch over my superior at almost all times, and keeping up with military documents every day isn't exactly your average dose of homework."

Seth's brows wrinkled in distaste. "Screw your Colonel, I've heard about his laziness and incompetence. Why do you even bother worrying about him so much?"

Riza didn't like where this conversation was going.

"It's my duty to aid him in his own duties, Seth. That's what being a truly loyal subordinate is all about." she replied assertively. "Even if I got promoted I still have to maintain my job the best way I can. And I certainly do not have the time for your...personal demands."

Seth glowered darkly at her last sentence. Riza was referring to those last few days of spending time with him. Ever since their first tentative kiss they've been fiercely making out every chance they would get.  
It was when he started to grope her waist and thighs that Riza decided to put an end to it.  
If there was one thing she looked down on most, it a seemingly nice and friendly man breaching upon a woman's personal space. But things didn't get any better. After resolving to avoid close contact with Seth, he heatedly attempted to go even further into their relationship.

Then he did the unthinkable: he pressured her to have sex with him at his apartment.

Considering how formidable Riza could be, he didn't make an immediate move on her. She had vehemently refused to give in to his favor after explaining to him many times how hard it was to keep her personal life a secret, let alone a rumor of her having sex before marriage slipping through among Central headquarters. He insisted that it won't be a big deal, and that everyone was doing it, but to no avail. She had replied that she wasn't that part of "everyone" and left his apartment without another word.

Since then it marked the end of their relationship and her troubles. But now that he's shown up in the alley with her, she didn't know what to do to evade him this time.

"I figured you would be as stubborn as a bull." Seth said. "But it ain't gonna get you anywhere."

He motioned with his fingers, and a bunch of tough-looking men stepped out from the shadows. Riza clenched her teeth as they moved closer until they made a tight circle formation. There was no way she and Hayate could force an opening between them. The wave of horror that washed over her being was enough to make her sick. She was so stupid to take the shortcut; had she taken the other road and avoid Seth altogether, she would be home safe and sound by now. And she should have known that a macho man like Seth would have a gang tagging along.

"I'm giving you one last chance, Riza." Seth held out his hand threateningly, as if he made to snatch the gun from her. "Just give it up and forget about your precious Colonel. He ain't worth your time."

Riza closed her eyes for a moment and her chest ached when she thought of Roy, reckless and impulsive yet so kind and concerned when he had to be. She thought of his beaming smile when he arrived at her door. But that same face held an angry, painful look as he received and threw back verbal abuse at her.

"It's true...he may not be of any convenience to my job." she growled. "But at least he acts like I'm worth _his_ time. _That_ is something worthy to protect."

Riza raised her gun again to fire, but Seth's hand reached her arm before she could even aim her sight. With a brutal twist he wrung her arm like a dish towel and disarmed her of her gun. She gasped in pain at the intensity of Seth's grip. Before she had time to collect herself, Seth took hold of her gun and fired down. A bone-shattering sensation shot through her ankle and she crumpled to the ground. Hayate snarled viciously and jumped at Seth in an attempt to defend his fallen master. But it only took a flick of Seth's solid hand to send the poor canine flying. Hayate hit a wall about ten feet off the ground and crashed ungraciously into a dumpster below him. He weakly hopped down amid the strewn grocery bags.

"Go, Hayate!" Riza commanded. 'Go to Roy.' Her eyes told him. Hayate stared back in torn desperation. Then he snatched an orange into his teeth and took off.

"It looks like your little puppy ain't coming back anytime soon!" Seth laughed scornfully. "You always did know how to scare everybody, didn't you?"

Riza, impaired by her sprained arm and broken ankle, could only remain on the ground and stare up helplessly at the surrounding men. Seth gestured towards his henchmen.

"Tie her up."

Three or four men came forward with ropes and wires. As soon as one of them got within range, Riza lashed out with her good leg. Her tripkick maneuver was successful; the man fell unceremoniously on his back. But two other men managed to slip behind her and grab her by the wrists. As she felt her arms being bound together by rough tight ropes, she wildly struggled and fought and kicked. Unfortunately the gangsters proved to be much too strong. Her anger flared up when she saw Seth watching from the sidelines as if he were watching a circus act. He thinks this whole thing was a fucking _game_. With a desperate, aggressive snarl she bit down hard on a man's beefy arm that happened to be around her neck. The man howled and reeled back in pain.

"YOWCH! You stupid little _bitch_!"

As if to make a point on the last word, his boot socked her in the gut mercilessly. She slammed against a wall, coughing up blood as the impact sent jarring shocks up her spine. Seth walked over to her and bent down to meet her dazed but fiery eyes.

"Temper, temper." he shook his head mockingly. "A wild dog like you needs to have a muzzle."

One of the men threw a dirty rag about her face and over her mouth. It tugged tightly at the back of her head, and the piece of cloth tasted awful. Some sturdy hands pinned her shoulders firmly against the wall.

"Not so tough now, aren't you, little Riza?" Seth said. His voice was soft, almost a whisper. But never less dangerous than before. "I know you well enough to predict that you wouldn't be goin' to that party. It makes it all the more easier for me to settle the score with you."

He then moved even closer to her, and to Riza's horror his hands skimmed roughly over her clothes. She fought to wriggle away from his grasp, but it only made him more excited.

"You know, I wish we didn't have to do this under these circumstances." Seth remarked almost casually as he unbuttoned her white oxford shirt. "But your stubborn, smartass attitude leaves me with no choice. You asked for it."

Seth seized the white shirt and shook it from Riza's body. As soon as he tossed it to the side he moved on to her black undershirt. His hands roughly pushed the fabric up to her neck so that her bare flesh was exposed. Riza shivered as the naked skin came in contact with the cool air. Seth's eyes gleamed in the dark with eagerness as he scanned the surprisingly soft, feminine contours of her upper body. Riza wished with all her might that she could just spring free of the ropes and rip those dirty eyeballs straight out of his sockets. But wishing could only go so far. She visibly flinched from the coarse, crude fingers that nipped at her stomach and slowly made their way up. Then his rude hands snaked up to caress, or rather, grope at the bottom of her breasts. He laughed as Riza jumped and a muffled whimper escaped her mouth.

"You liked that, didn't you?" Seth's voice drawled with sadistic sarcasm. "I'll be sure to do some more."

"Hey boss, can we get dibs on her next?" A man called from the back.

"Maybe later. But for now I'm just taking it nice and easy, the way it should be."

Riza was certain that this was NOT how sex should be. She felt humiliated and disgraced, having her naked body thrown out for an ex-boyfriend and a couple of strangers to see. Like she was some showcase stripper or something. Despite the rag that muffled her voice, she made sure her insult came out loud and clear:  
"I don't give a rat's ass about what you want from me, you lousy son of a -"

A crackling slap to her face cut her off.

"Shut up." Seth snarled. His face lost all traces of humor.

His hands seized her whole breasts and roughly massaged them. There was nothing Riza could do about it. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain as his fingers pinched her sensitive nipples. When that didn't seem to be enough, Seth's hands moved down to her pants. He unbuttoned it and yanked it off, not even caring that he hit her broken ankle in the process. The bare, cold feeling that crept through her legs was even worse than her upper body. Riza's eyes widened in horror as Seth reached up to her underwear, a meager piece of fabric and her only shield that protected her sensitive area.

'No...no...please, not that...' she inwardly pleaded.

As if emotionally triggered, tears sprang to her eyes when Seth tugged off the underwear with almost no effort. Her stomach twinged in anxiety at what Seth was about to do. He began unfastening his own pants and closed in on her bound, helpless form. As if possessed by a demon, Riza struggled wildly against the ropes and even swung out her injured leg in a hopelessly desperate attempt to prevent her terrible, inevitable fate.

Seth gripped her body like the crushing hold of a grizzly bear and thrusted into her with brute force.  
Riza threw back her head and cried out in agony. Getting hit in the shoulder by a bullet was one thing, but an erection piercing through a feminine area was entirely another. The pain was simply unbearable, and it brought waves of sickening nausea rippling through her stomach. Seth continued to plunge in and out relentlessly, each one bringing about another painful wail from Riza. As her head pressed against the wall, Seth lifted his own and laughed cruelly at his victim's suffering. Each scream and moan from the normally strong and steadfast female soldier was music ringing in his ears. His men joined in on the scornful laughter as their boss enjoyed himself.

"C'mon man," one of them complained. "We want a turn with the hot feisty chick too."

Seth remained inside her for a moment, then he withdrew abruptly. The sudden move made Riza gasp in pain and she doubled over, panting as if she ran for miles. She didn't do anything to suppress the shudders and cold sweat that plagued her body. She vaguely felt like throwing up in front of all these men. Seth turned to the gangsters and shrugged.

"She's all yours, boys. One at a time though; no need to rush it."

They hastily fought to get a turn with her anyway. This time Riza felt too nauseated and weak to fight back; her strong spirit completely gone and die out. She gave up trying to free her arms as one guy after another thrusted into her. Her mind was a swirling, numb and chaotic mess, and her vision began to waver. She was so disoriented to the point where she couldn't even feel the thrust of the last man before they all had enough. They looked down upon her naked and pitiful figure sprawled against the wall.

"So this is what's left of the so-called strict and scary Lieutenant Hawkeye." Seth, as well as the rest of the men, began to put back on their clothes.

But poor Riza was in such a traumatized state that he wasn't sure she was even listening. So he bent down to her eye level and looked around.

"Well, well, well. It looks like even your dear Colonel hasn't shown up to save your guts. I wonder if he'll find out that you're just a sorry whore an' he won't even bother to make you his bodyguard. You're weak and pathetic...you'll only be one of many sluts kicked out of the military, I'll bet my money on it. Sorry that I had to do this, but I really hate being dumped."

And with that, Seth and his men left and retreated further into the dark alleyway. Riza remained prostrate to the ground, and she felt a wetness forming between her legs. She looked down, and through the dim moonlight she saw a dark puddle of blood pooling at her thighs. She had never felt so ill in her life. Her breasts ached, her head spinned, and her inner thighs throbbed. Above all, her stomach didn't stop churning and heaving.

Suddenly, Riza doubled over from the lightning bolts of pain that lanced through her and retched. She shuddered and let out a little cry as vomit stained the rag that restrained her mouth. She tore her eyes away from the mess on the ground and leaned back against the cold stone wall painfully. The bitter taste of acid and bile lingered on her tongue, for the rag prevented her from letting it all out to relieve her of the sickening sensation. She could only take in heaving, panting breaths through her nose and she looked up miserably at the night sky. Even the heavens seemed to mock her with the beautifully shimmering stars and tranquil air. With her arms still bound behind her back, she was unable to staunch the bleeding between her legs.  
'I'm in one hell of a mess.' she thought dully. Once more, tears pooled at the rims of her eyes and spilled out unwillingly. The alleyway was devoid of all light and life; only Riza stirred feebly amid the lonely atmosphere.

"Someone...anyone...help me...Anyone, PLEASE!" Her plea was only met with silence as cold and unfeeling as the wall behind her.  
Riza's shoulders shook as she sobbed miserably and laid there bleeding to death.

'Am I going to die?' she asked herself numbly. 'I guess it's better than having Mustang see me like this...'

The more Riza bled, the more dizzy and fatigued she felt.  
Her vision began to blur and faze even more, and she was dimly aware that she was slowly falling over to her side. Her eyes fluttered and slowly closed. Her heart wrenched when the bluish blackness through her closed eyes was the same shade as Roy's eyes. Then she felt no more.


	3. Bar Blues

**"Charge of the Light Brigade" is, in my humble opinion, one of the most awesome and kickass poems ever! I felt like it really related to the circumstances and situations in the FMA series. It's eerily similar to the way King Bradley started the Ishbal war, and Roy and Riza were the ones to suffer along with many others. And it was hard...trying to set up a legit scenario in which Roy would get mad at Riza and vice versa. So you might find them a teensy bit OOC...but anyways, onward with the highly anticipated chapter 3!!**

Stumble Through the Dark (3)

Bar Blues

"Every normal woman loves to go shopping, wouldn't you agree?"

Roy was greatly taken aback by the amount of sarcasm laden behind Riza's voice. Once in a while he's heard her use sarcasm in a cynical or wry tone, but never in an outwardly nasty way. When he was speechless with shock, Riza took the opportunity to slip past him. He sighed in defeat as he watched her walk away without as much as a glance over her shoulder.

"Go on to the bar. You'll be late." was all she said.

Roy's eyes were affixed to her turned back until her figure dwindled out of sight in the distance. Then he put his forehead to Riza's apartment door and thumped his fist on it in frustration. His insides were a volcano wraught with boiling anger and guilt.

'I'm such a damn idiot to believe that my pathetic excuses would convince her to come.' he thought miserably. 'Why, why did I have to blab on with my smart mouth and say all those cruel things to her? I'm so stupid!'

This time he hit the door harder, causing a passerby to glance at him oddly. Roy sorely regretted the whole thing. The truth really did hurt...the truth that Riza sincerely hated parties and the truth that he was a hard-headed impulsive fool. Roy stepped down heavily from the porch and walked in the opposite of Riza's direction. Although he did his best to keep a stoic front, his shoulders slumped a little and his shoes shuffled on the concrete gloomily.

'Man...not only she didn't decide to come, she's going to spend the rest of her night being seriously pissed.' Roy thought to himself. A pair of women toting colorful shopping bags and glamorous purses saw Roy coming down the sidewalk.

"Hello sir, you're looking fiiine this evening. May I ask where you're off to? Got a date?" one of them simpered.

Roy kept his head down and muttered a quick apology as he squeezed past them when he and the ladies intercepted. The woman who asked stared after him in bewilderment, while her companion tsked loudly.

"He's obviously not interested in yooou, dahling." she huffed. "And I, for one, am experienced in the art of deciphering men's body language. Look at the faraway eyes, the hung head and shoulders. I'd say he was promptly dumped."

Roy heard the woman's comment, and he let out a low-spirited sigh.

'It's worse than being dumped. Riza's probably going to hate my guts for eternity.' he kicked a stray pebble that skidded off into the street. 'She's not one to forget and forgive easily.'

The sounds of human commotion reached his ears, and Roy looked up. He was fast approaching a snazzy and classy bar that could only belong to Madame Christmas's. Plenty of expensive-looking cars dotted the parking lot, and officers dressed in their prime were stepping out of them to walk into the bar. Roy recognized Lieutenant General Grumman among the arrived guests; the old man was completely dwarfed by his gigantic bodyguards that closely flanked his sides. Grumman also caught sight of Roy, and the wrinkles on his weathered face rose up a mile high.

"Hohoho!" Grumman laughed. "Well if it isn't the newly promoted Field Marshal himself, Roy Mustang!"

Roy cracked a small smile.

"Evening, Lieutenant General."

Grumman snorted in exasperation. "There'll be no need for titles and all that jazz. Tonight as we celebrate, we soldiers are equal under one roof and over a million mugs of beer! Hohohoho!" The senior officer waved off his guards to let them go on inside. Roy took his place by Grumman's side.

"Did anyone else arrive with you, sir?" Roy asked.

"Oh, a few of the other old officers such as myself." Grumman shrugged. "Y'wouldn't know them too well, they're all a bunch of Central chums who have never inhaled a breath of battle and only came to get drunk on _our_ fruits of labor."

Roy chuckled, and his mood lifted a tiny bit. Grumman and his wisecracking, happy-go-lucky attitude never ceased to amuse him. It was hard to believe that this easygoing man was the grandfather of such an uptight, no-nonsense woman who repelled any opportunities to advance her social life.

Roy and Grumman entered the bar, and the festive, fun-filled atmosphere immediately surrounded them.

Many soldiers and officers have already occupied three quarters of the bar. Seperation by rank was undistinguishable; seregeants and lieutenants sat comfortably among state alchemists and generals. The punguent aromas of smoked cigars and beer wafted around the entire room. Amid the haze of the smoke Roy squinted his eyes to search the room for familiar faces. Then he caught sight of a man whose exhaled smoke was longer and heavier than the rest.

"Hey Havoc!"

Jean Havoc swiveled around in his bar stool and waved enthusiastically. Grumman patted Roy's shoulder good-naturedly.

"I thought I saw Hakuro and Douglas in the corner. 'Scuse me while I chat with them right quick." Then the old officer left to join his friends.

Roy thought he saw a woman seated next to Havoc.

"Hiya Chief! I landed myself a big one tonight!"

"Big? You think I'm big?" the lady asked flirtatiously.

"Course not, babe. I meant big as in big in beauty!"

The lady put a hand to her cheek and giggled hysterically in her seat.

Roy took a stool next to Havoc and opposite of the girl.

"I see you've gotten better with your swoon-inducing one-liners." Roy grinned. "Keep up the good work."

Havoc huffed in indignation.

"Jeez, Mustang. Don't jinx me tonight. This is about as good as it gets."

"Roy, perfect timing. I was gettin' sick of these two lovebirds prattlin' away. I ought to shut their beaks wi' good doses o' my best drinks."

Roy and Havoc smiled wryly as the source of the voice came forward.

"Evening to you, Madame Christmas." they both said.

The master bartender laid an arm on the table and held aloft a lengthy cigarette. Madame Christmas was a middle-aged woman with a wide girth and unruly black hair swept back into a casual ponytail that marked her as a Mustang. She was clad in her usual bartending attire: a dark purple coat with white fur at the neck frills and studded jewelry of various colors on virtually every area of wearable flesh. She might as well used to be a real diva in her younger days. But even if she was well out of her prime, Madame Christmas's homely, down-to-earth nature still made her popular among locals and regular customers.

"What can I do for you bad boys tonight? Want some ale? Cordial? Maybe vodka?"

"Perhaps some strawberry cordial for now." Roy replied. "We're saving champagne for later, right?"

Madame Christmas already presented three cups filled to the brim with rich, ruby-colored liquid.

"Yep. The toast's gonna be a big blast. They're gonna announce names and all that recognition shenanigan." she shoved two cups at Roy and Havoc and passed the other to Havoc's new girlfriend carefully. The girl smiled nervously.

"Erm, I don't think I'll finish it all, ma'am."

"That's okay." Havoc took her cup and clinked it against his own. "I'll drink it for you."

"How about I share it with you?" the girl fluttered her eyelashes imploringly.

"Sounds like a mighty fine idea to me." Havoc smirked.

Roy covered his mouth to hide a smile when Madame Christmas mimicked the girl by batting her own eyelashes and waved her cigarette around like a magic wand.

"There you are, Chief!"

Roy turned to see Fuery, Breda and Falman slipping between gaps in the crowd to reach the barstools. All three were dressed in their best tuxedos and their cleanest hairstyles. Havoc's eyebrows rose.

"Whoa Breda, that tuxedo looks surprisingly fine on you."

Breda's mouth curved upwards at one side as the rest of Roy's men took their seats.

"Is that a disappointed look I see on your ugly mug, Havoc?"

"Hell no." Havoc snorted. "The cordial's real strong."

"Whaddya guys want?" Madame Christmas surveyed the newcomers.

"Same thing as Mustang and Havoc." Falman replied.

Fuery adjusted his necktie nervously.

"Um...uh...can we start off with something a little less strong? Can you put it in a shot glass or something?"

Havoc clapped Fuery heartily on the back.

"C'mon Fuery! This is your coming of age! Your moment of truth! Be a man and suck it up!"

Fuery laughed nervously as Breda shoved a cup under his nose. The helpless bespectacled man looked like he was going to faint from the strong odor. Fuery's eyes bulged out as the men laughed uproaringly and chugged the drink down his throat. Madame Christmas shook her head in amusement, then she addressed Mustang.

"Where's your girl? She coming?"

Roy knew too well of whom his aunt and adopted mother was speaking of. He lowered his head and sipped moodily at his cordial.

"No, she isn't. She didn't want to; she said she's got better things to do."

Madame Christmas took in her adopted son's gloomy, faraway stare and grunted sympathetically.

"Sorry to hear that. I've heard all kinds of great things about Hawkeye from her ol' gramps. Her bein' a top notch sharpshooter an' all. It's a pity I won't get to meet her tonight."

Roy didn't say anything; he only nodded and drank.

"I also heard how many times she saved your ass." Madame Christmas attempted to cheer him up. "Maybe she's fed up with it an' just wants to take a break from it all."

Roy smiled a little.

"Perhaps. But someday I'll DRAG her to a social event, whether she'll like it or not. I'll tell her an assassin might be planning to kill me on that day. Then she might change her mind."

"Sure, sure. But for now, just take it easy tonight, Roy. Don't let it eat ya up too much."

Leave it to Madame Christmas to be blunt and to the point. She wasn't one of those ladies who would hug them close to you and say that "everything will be just fine". Roy's spirit lifted slightly and he finished his cup with gusto.

"Who are you calling a perfectly legal midget that isn't worth even half of a basketball player!?"

"I-I never said any of that B.S, shor--"

"Don't say it!! Not the s-word! And no, it's not shit!"

"Brother, calm down. We're at a party, for crying out loud. Be nice to Mr. Zanpano and Jerso and cheer up."

Roy and his men turned around to see the pair of soldier-chimeras and the Elric brothers making a scene upon entering the bar. Alphonse kept a restraining hand on his older brother's back as Edward struggled to get his automail hand around Zanpano's neck. Zanpano whirled around and bowed gratefully to Alphonse.

"Thank goodness YOU'RE the bigger one. I hate to see the pipsqueak blow his top if he were in your shoes."

"What was that!?"

Zanpano and Jerso scuttled away into the general hubbub of the seated guests.

"Thanks a lot, it was great knowin' ya!"

Al released Ed, and the diminutive Fullmetal Alchemist jumped about in vain to sight the two who have escaped his wrath.

"Aaargh! Damn all these officers who are taller than me even when they're seated!"

Al shook his great horned helmet and put a hand to it.

"Jeez big brother, can you give it a rest already? Hey, there's--"

"Don't even say it Al! I know it's the damn Colonel, and I have no intention of interacting with him tonight!"

Roy came over to them anyway and put on his smug "Hello, Fullmetal" expression.

"Why hello there, Alphonse and Fullmetal. And that's Field Marshal to you."

Edward assumed his "Oh no, it's Roy Mustang!" grimace.

"How the hell if we were supposed to know about that? Al and I were at Resembool celebrating Winry's sixteenth birthday the same time there was the award ceremony. We only got news about some big post-ceremony celebration. So we hauled our asses over to Central, only to get dissed by Zanpano, Jerso, and worst of all: you!"

"Glad to be of service." Roy smirked. "Too bad you're not old enough to drink yet. Madame Christmas can brew up some pretty wicked alcohol."

Ed shrugged. "Yeah well, I'm glad I ain't reaching the legal age just yet. That stuff smells weird anyway."

"A kid like you wouldn't know how to appreciate the fine qualities of it." Roy cooly retorted. "You know, I heard that wine can stunt your growth even better than milk."

Ed flexed his automail knuckles warningly. "Don't get me started, Colo--er, Field Marshal. Ugh, calling you by your new title is weird. Why can't you just stay being a darn Colonel?"

"I'm too good to be stuck in one place." Roy really enjoyed beating about the bush and toying with the younger alchemist. Al listened to the entire conversation, and his armor frame shook from the contained laughter.

"Sooo, where's Lieutenant Hawkeye? It's also weird not to see her next to you." Ed was bent on changing the subject.

Roy's back stiffened slightly and corrected Ed once more.

"_Lieutenant Colonel_ Hawkeye. She isn't feeling well." he lied. "I didn't want to force her to come against her will." At the irony of his words, Roy cursed under his teeth. Fortunately, the Elric brothers didn't notice it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Roy saw Alex Armstrong and his older sister Olivier arrive through the door. Poor Armstrong's sensitive eyes were streaming from the overwhelming cigar smoke. The Briggs soldier of mixed ethnicity, Major Miles, took his place faithfully beside his superior. He still wore his trademark snow glasses, even amidst the warm, friendly weather of Central. Another soldier of massive circumference and intimidation, Buccaneer, had to follow behind the trio. The bar was really getting packed, and it seemed that Madame Christmas invited the entire fortress of Briggs as well.

Roy went over to Madame Christmas and said: "Looks like everyone is in here, I've never seen so many soldiers gather in one place besides the headquarters plaza. What's the schedule tonight?"

Madame Christmas smirked. "Before we stuff our gobs with fully decked Amestrian and Xingese cuisine and propose the big toast, there's the ol' Briggs Brag contest we gotta comply with."

Upon hearing her remark, Central troops exchanged glances apprehensively while the Briggs soldiers rubbed their hands in anticipation. Ed and Al were confused. "What's a Briggs Brag contest?"

"It's a popular pastime among Briggs fighters." Roy explained. "When their bodies get too tired from patrolling in the cold or tackling grizzly bears, they would try to outbrag each other in a game of wits. Most of it are tall tales and exaggerations, but it's fun to them. We Central Amestrians have nothing to brag about, that's why we always lose whenever we compete against them."

"But you're different." Alphonse replied. "You're pretty witty with your words, especially when you push around big brother." Al's eyes lit up upon a great epiphany. "Maybe YOU could represent our military branch by going up against one of them."

Havoc, Breda, Falman and a slightly intoxicated Fuery agreed wholeheartedly.

"Sounds like a great plan!"

"Finally, we might have a chance against those Briggs buckoes!"

"Go-hic!-Mustang! He's our maaaan! Hic!"

Olivier Armstrong rapped her blade against the side of a table. Every soldier in the room immediately stopped in midtalk or mid-drink to give her their undivided attention.

"The time has come, and I bet everyone was itching for this to come around." she announced. "The Briggs Brag contest will shortly go underway!" The northern fortress soldiers cheered eagerly while the Central troops followed suit with much less enthusiasm.

"Oooh boy." Jerso mumbled to Zanpano. "Last time we duked out a contest against them, we pitted old Hakuro against one of their bad boys. D'you remember how it went?"

His companion frowned and grimaced. "Yeah. A total, fantastic failure."

"All right everyone, assemble and pick out your contestant!" Olivier declared. She gathered her own men and they discussed their tactics at one side of the bar. Grumman placed himself in charge and motioned to his own troops to the other side.

"Who here is brave enough to sell his or her soul and stand up against them?" Grumman called out humorously. The soldiers looked among each other uncertainly, none of them dared to raise their hand and come forward. Finally, Breda had Roy by the sleeve and waved to the old officer.

"Hoi, we got someone willing to take a shot!" he called.

Roy snatched his arm away from Breda's grasp. "Are you kidding me!?" he asked irritably. "I'm not the type to play games! I already did one with Fullmetal!"

"Well, you DID beat the Fullmetal Alchemist." Havoc mused. "AND you can be pretty slick with your words..."

The soldiers nodded in fervent agreement, as if their very lives depended on the Flame Alchemist.

"But...wh-what!? It was a tie!" Roy furiously retorted. "And I'm only good at insulting, not bragging."

"But a-hic!-pompous, arrogant-hic!-jerk like you would be-hic!-perfect against them! Arrogant people are reeal good at-hic!-bragging!" Fuery slurred.

Roy's eyebrows rose, though he looked far from being amused. Falman clapped a hand over Fuery's mouth.

"What he meant to say was that you'd be our best chance against Briggs." Falman said quickly. "And I'll go with that plan!"

"So it's final! Field Marshal Roy Mustang will represent our team!" Grumman declared.

Roy's mouth dropped open in angry shock, and before he could say anything, he was jostled forward to Grumman's side. Olivier peered at Central's side, and her lips were tightly pursed from trying not to laugh out loud.

"Really, Lieutenant General? I know that you're locally famous for your...eccentricity...but this has GOT to be a joke."

Grumman continued to keep his light smile.

"No, Major General, we are being perfectly serious. Who is the challenger from Briggs, may I ask?"

Buccaneer took his place by Olivier's side and punched a fist into the palm of his hand. Roy paled considerably. As the two contestants were brought up to meet face-to-face, both sides offered suggestions in tirades.

"Use his own weight against him, Mustang! Duck and weave!"

"You show 'im who's boss, Cap'n Buccaneer! Crush him like a little snow pigeon!"

"Pretend that ol' Buccaneer's the Fullmetal Alchemist! Keep your cool while insulting him!"

"But use tall jokes, to match up with Buccaneer's tall tales!"

"Hey! I heard that!" Ed's angry voice joined in the fray.

Olivier knocked the floor with the tip of her sword to silence the bar. She cleared her throat.

"Let me go over the rules. This is a battle of words and brains, not brawn. The winner will be judged by the popular opinion of your very good selves. The challenger from Briggs this evening is our very own Captain Buccaneer!"

A roaring rave issued from the northern troops and they stamped their feet in favor of their Brag contest champion.

"And hailing from Central is Field Marshal Roy Mustang!"

A smattering of lukewarm applause greeted him. Fuery, still very much drunk, hooted loudly from the back.

"The side that wins gets three-fourths of this beautiful feast Madame Christmas laid out for us. And now...let the Briggs Brag contest start!!" Olivier declared.

Silence fell on the crowd. Roy stood quite still in the center of the makeshift center and said nothing. Buccaneer paced about the edges, as if stalking upon his prey. Suddenly he did a splendid cartwheel and a breathtaking leap. His ponytail skimmed the bar's ceiling. He landed very close to Roy, who did not flinch, and began his brag:

"Yerrahooooo! I'm a mighty beast of the northern mountains! My name's Captain Buccaneer, loyal warrior to Briggs and Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong. Whaddya think of that, Central softie?"

Roy's mind paced furiously. 'Imagine that he's Fullmetal, imagine that he's Fullmetal...'

Roy ignored Buccaneer and waved cheerily to his subordinates.

"Isn't he clever? He knows his own name. It must have taken him simply ages to learn it in that freezing cold."

There was a ripple of laughter from the crowd.

Buccaneer stamped until dust rose and leapt clear over Roy's head. Still Roy did not move from his place. Buccaneer thrust out his barrel chest and thumped it.

"I'm afraid of nothing or nobody. I was born on a moonless night in the midst of crashin' thunder an' lightning!"

Amid the hush that followed, Roy carefully wiped a coat of dust from the front of his tuxedo.

"Tut tut, what dreadful weather you had. Your pregnant mum never watched the forecast, did she? Did you get wet?"

This time the laughter increased. Raucous guffaws could be heard, some with a distinct mountain soldier tone to them. Buccaneer had to wait for the merriment to subside, his jaws and fists clenched tight. He thrust his large, fearsome face forward until he was eye to eye with Roy. The withering glare he threw could split solid rock.

Then his big voice boomed forth: "Yerrahooo Mustang! Have you ever looked death straight in the eye? These eyes have made grown grizzlies cower an' the greenest cadets shit out bricks!"

The crowd waited with bated breath. Roy peered even closer at his opponent, until his nose almost touched Buccaneer's.

"Hmm, you do look a little peaky, sir. All that shouting can't be doing you much good--all that jumping about, too. Have you got constipation, is that it?"

Roars and hoots of laughter greeted this remark. Soldiers from Briggs and Central alike were wiping tears from their eyes.

"Ahahahahahaaaa! Constipation, that's a damn good one!" Jerso and Zanpano leaned heavily on each other, clutching their stomachs.

Ed doubled over and banged against Al's armor as he wheezed and panted in his laughter.

"I bet ol' Buccaneer can't come up with a brag after that one, Al!"

"I have to admit, this guy's hilarious!" Even Miles was grinning widely.

Captain Buccaneer was shaking all over. Glaring murderously at Roy, he gripped a huge fist, raising it over his head as if he was going to bring it down and crush Roy. He wasn't the least bit fazed. In fact, Roy nodded in approval of Buccaneer's action. "Bit of exercise, huh? Very good! My fine adopted mum Madame Christmas always says exercise is the best cure for constipation!"

Suddenly, without warning, Buccaneer brought his fist to his stomach and bellowed out in laughter. Roy stood before Buccaneer in shock. The giant husky man wiped a tear from his eye and gazed at Roy appreciatively.

"No more, no more! You're gonna split my belly! I guess I underestimated you, Mustang. I figured that an Ishbal veteran like you didn't have a sense of humor. But I was clearly wrong. I'm really glad I challenged you, Roy Mustang. No man has ever bested me in the art of bragging before until you came along. You earn my respect and trust."

When Buccaneer's hand engulfed Roy's in a hearty handshake, all the soldiers cheered uproaringly. The Central troops embraced each other gleefully.

"We won! Central actually won against Briggs!" Havoc exclaimed.

Olivier stepped up to Roy and smiled wryly.

"Looks the night goes to you, Mustang. That was one of the best rounds of fine bragging I've ever seen."

The eldest and harshest of the Armstrong children was not one to give compliments so openly, and Roy was well aware of it. Once he heard her, he blushed with pride and tried his best to act modest.

"Thank you very much, Major General. I suspect that I won't be getting such nice things from you anytime soon."

Olivier smiled back.

"You are very much correct, Mustang."

The Central troops, victors of the evening, tucked into the grand feast happily. Al hung back, looking as if shameful for missing an opportunity to eat such great food.

Roy then turned to the defeated Briggs men, who were also hanging around the sidelines. They stared pitifully at their one-fourth portion of the feast. The sight of gruff, tough men pouting at the food was a heartwrenching and comical sight at the same time.

"You good men must be famished." Roy said to them. "It must be disappointing for you to have come all the way from the north just to get only a little of the food. I think everyone should have an equal share of it. As winner of the contest, I grant you an obligation to dig in!"

The Briggs men roared a big "thank you" to Roy and joined the Central soldiers. They all tore into the food as of they just endured a three-year famine. Spring egg rolls, rice noodles cooked in all sorts of ways and rice soup were just among the few delicacies of Xingese cuisine. Amestrian food included pasta, vegetable soup, sandwiches of all kinds and a delicious assortment of desserts. As Roy ate, he felt a nagging guilt bubble up inside him again.

'Riza doesn't know what she's missing.' he thought. 'This is great stuff that Madame Christmas cooked up. And I wished that she was there to see the bragging contest...it won't be the same just telling it to her later...'

The more Roy got lost into his thoughts, the slower he chewed his food.

'If she were here, she would laugh her head off...'

Roy couldn't remember the last time Riza Hawkeye laughed for real. She would chuckle here and there, but he would pay to see her rolling on the floor and laughing till it hurt. At least she wasn't like most women her age; they would squeal and twitter with an anmoyingly high pitch over the most silly things. But if he could remember, Riza's laugh was good-natured and soft, not too high and not too gruff. Her laughter was like blissful music to his ears, and he would do anything to hear it again. Roy vowed to not only take Riza to a future party, but also to tell an irresistably funny joke or do something utterly stupid just to make her laugh. He felt good about tonight, he really did. The contest that made him nervous at first greatly cheered him up in the end. He carried out lengthy enjoyable conversations with his peers and fellow soldiers without thinking too much of the unfortunate argument with Riza before the party. He talked the most with Rebecca and Maria, two of Riza's best friends in the military.

"Oh Roy, you should've let us know so that we could convince her to come." Rebecca huffed. "Shame on you, sir."

This time he wasn't quite so stung whenever people brought up Riza's name.

"She said she had some shopping errands to do." he replied. Maria and Rebecca were the only ones informed of the entire truth. "Besides, if I insisted more she would've pulled the trigger on me in order to shut me up."

"Which is why you should've brought us along." Maria jabbed a fork in Roy's direction. "That girl needs to cut some slack and have fun."

"I tried to tell her, and I failed."

"She'd probably take advice better from sensible girlfriends instead of a certain paperwork-repelling ex-Colonel." Rebecca jibed.

Roy cocked an eyebrow.

"Ha ha, very funny, Rebecca. Hey Grumman!"

Rebecca, who feared the senior officer for his infamous surprise attacks, spun in her seat so quickly that her legs flew in midair for a short time. Realizing that she had been tricked, Rebecca continued to eat at her dinner and gave Roy her oh-no-you-didn't glare.

Roy was about to start on a slice of blueberry pie when something hit his chair leg. He peered down and saw a bundle of black and white fur scrabbling at his barstool. The animal lifted its head and Roy recognized it.

Black Hayate?

The dog had an orange between his jaws, and his tail wagged furiously from side to side. Roy got down to pet Hayate's head.

"Hey boy, whatcha doing here?"

Wait, what WAS he doing here?

"Aren't you supposed to be with your owner?"

At the mention of Riza, the canine whined and shoved the orange into Roy's hand. He turned the fruit around and saw a grocery store sticker labeled on one side.

Okay, so Riza already went to the store to get what she needed. But now what?

Black Hayate tugged at the hem of Roy's pants with his teeth. Roy tried to shake him off, but Hayate clung on stubbornly and continued to pull.

"Hey, well if it isn't my granddaughter's little pup?" Grumman appeared next to Roy. "I wonder what's up with him?"

Alphonse, the unofficial animal expert, bent down to examine Black Hayate. The dog still shuffled backwards and pried at Roy's pant leg doggedly.

"He seems to be pretty insistent." Alphonse noted. "And his eyes tell me that he seems really worried too. Did something happen to the lieutenant?"

Roy clapped a hand to his forehead. Why didn't he see this before? Now that he thought about it, why would Hayate be so impulsed to run off without his master? Roy swallowed hard as he asked ominously:

"Hayate, where's Riza?"

With that, the dog barked once and promptly rushed out of the bar. Maria and Rebecca's eyes followed Hayate out.

"Hey, what's going on? We thought we heard you guys mentioned Riza?" Maria asked.

Roy was well out of his partying mood now. He improvised quickly as he took charge of the situation.

"Alphonse, stay here in the bar and pretend nothing ever happened. The last thing we want is unwanted attention. Lieutenant General Grumman, Rebecca and Maria will come with me."

Roy strode swiftly to the exit doors, only to be stopped by Madame Christmas and Armstrong.

"Hey Roy, where ya going? You're gonna miss the big champagne toast." she called. Armstrong was going to open his mouth, but when he saw Roy's intense expression he thought twice.

The giant Major looked at the people waiting behind Roy, and he stepped to the side.

"Do what you must." Was all Armstrong said.

Without another word, Roy, Maria, Rebecca and Grumman fled the bar and out into the night air. Hayate barked at a nearby lamp post anxiously.

"Look! He wants us to follow him!" Rebecca pointed. The four officers ran after the canine and tried hard to keep him in their sight. As they ran deeper and deeper into dark, unfamiliar city territory, Roy had an extremely bad feeling creeping up his spine.

'Something is wrong...something is very, very wrong...'

He glanced at Grumman, and even the normally laidback officer had a grim, serious face on him. After a couple of more yards, Hayate stopped and sniffed around. Then he rounded a corner out of their sight and barked his head off. Roy was the first to reach the corner, and what he saw made a vein in his temple burst.

**Cliffhangeeer! :o  
I bet you're thinking: "What the hell is this filler chapter!? I wanna know what happened to Riza!"  
All in due time, faithful readers. Chapter 4 will take care of that. :)  
For those who took the time to press the magical review button below and gave your opinion, cam on nhieu nhieu lam!! (Thank you very very much!) A big bonus if you keep it up! :DDD**


	4. Incarcerated

Stumble Through the Dark (4)  
Incarcerated

"Hawkeye! _Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye_!"

"My God..." Rebecca put a hand to her mouth.

The prone figure on the ground did not stir. Hayate sniffed and prodded his nose at Riza's body. Roy immediately rushed over and very gently held her in his arms. He grabbed her black undershirt, the closest article of clothing to him, and laid it over Riza the best he could. He was utterly speechless in shock at the sight. Grocery bags were scattered all about the other side of the alleyway. Riza's clothing were soiled and dirty nearby. But what truly horrified Roy was the state of his former lieutenant.

A rag bounded half of her face, her skin a deathly pale hue. One of her legs laid askew at an odd angle, and her wrist was swollen and purple with bruises. Roy felt a wetness on his knees and lifted his legs. He gasped when he saw dark blood pooling at her thighs and staining his pant legs.

Carefully he untied the rag and cleaned her face.

Rebecca and Maria hurried to kneel next to Roy.

"I'm going to call the ambulance." Grumman stated grimly. He took off to find the nearest phone booth.

Roy stared up at the women in despair.

"Is she...?" he choked.

Maria put two fingers at Riza's pulse, and then her neck.

"No, she's alive." she replied. "It's a wonder that whoever attacked her didn't kill her."

"Dammit." Roy grinded his teeth. "I wanna pound the bloody bastard into ground beef and rip his filthy balls right off his-"

"We'd love to do the same thing too, Roy. Trust me." Rebecca snapped sternly. "But right now we need to staunch the bleeding. Her face is pale from all the blood loss. Maria, can I borrow that table napkin in your pocket?"

Roy let it be their business to stop the bleeding by pressing a cloth at Riza's inner thighs.

Riza moaned softly in pain, but she didn't open her eyes. Roy continued to cradle her in his protective embrace. He brushed away stray golden strands of her hair from her face and whispered to her soothingly.

"I'm here Riza, I'm here." he didn't care if he neglected to address her by her military title. "Rebecca, Maria, your grandfather and me: we're all here. Riza...Riza?"

Roy needed some kind of reassurance; he longed for the opening of her steady amber gaze, a responsive groan or even her replying: "With all due respect sir, you're such a sentimental idiot."

But none of those reactions greeted him. His heart sank as he realized that his comforting words were lost on her.

It was then he noticed an angry red mark across one side of Riza's face. It vaguely resembled a handprint.

"What kind of friends are we?" Roy's voice rang out loud and angry. "Poor Riza...she was beaten, mugged and tortured in a goddamn alley while we were at a bar, having all the fun that she could've had too!" His entire body trembled with a terrible rage that boiled his blood and seared his veins.

Maria kept a firm hand on Roy's shoulders while keeping the other on the napkin. Tears freely streamed down her face as she met Roy's eyes.

"Roy, we know how you feel." her voice shook. "We're gonna get her help as soon as we can. In the meantime, we need you to calm down."

After a few minutes, Roy's ears picked up the sounds of wailing sirens that were fast approaching. An ambulance and several police cars arrived at the scene. The ambulance's back doors burst open, and a few medical agents came down the ramp with a stretcher. Roy, Rebecca and Maria worked together to gently carry Riza's limp body to the stretcher. The paramedics quickly moved forward to help.

"Careful with her leg." Rebecca warned.

The paramedics worked deftly and rapidly as they strapped Riza down to the stretcher properly. Three or four police officers came forward with clipboards and notebooks.

"What happened here?" one of them asked Roy. He was too distraught to answer. When he sighted Grumman near the ambulance, Roy brushed by them in his rush to reach Grumman. Rebecca and Maria took over with the questions.

"We're not entirely sure. We found Riza sprawled on the ground after her dog came to warn us." Maria said.

"She appeared to be attacked by a man in this alley junction." Rebecca added.

The officers scribbled furiously on their clipboards.

"Are you certain? Was it one man or more?"

"Like we said, we're not sure." Maria shook her head in despair. "We arrived too late, so we don't know who the attacker, or attackers, looked like."

As soon as Roy came over, Grumman gestured toward a black military vehicle a little away from a police car.

"I also called an escort to drive us to the hospital. We're not allowed inside the ambulance." Grumman stated.

Roy nodded. "Let's get there as soon as possible." he said in a strained voice. He hated to be apart from Riza when she was so injured and helpless, but there was nothing else he could do. He motioned to Rebecca and Maria when they headed toward the military car. Then he got one last look of Riza's laid out body before she disappeared entirely into the back of the ambulance.

_"Father, what's the big hurry?"_

_"No time for questions, Riza. Get inside."_

_She was prodded into an austere, cheerless basement that lacked in any interior decor. The man behind her quickly shut the door and dragged a reclining chair to the center of the room. He swiped away the cobweb tendrils that lightly coated the chair's surface._

_"Take off your shirt."_

_Riza hesitated upon hearing this strange request, but nevertheless she dutifully obeyed. She studied her father as she undressed._

_The lank blond hair hid parts of his equally sallow face. Only a dull eye and a permanently etched frown could be seen. Judging from the slumped shoulders and the bruise under his eye, she figured that he wasn't feeling well. It wasn't a surprise; he always spent his days cooped up in his study, constantly analyzing that strange, otherwordly science that is alchemy._

_She bundled up her shirt and plopped it gently onto the floor._

_"Lie down on your stomach."_

_Riza bit her lip and gingerly settled herself onto the chair. She held back a shudder when she caught glimpses of stray cobwebs her father neglected to brush away._

_The man and Riza's father, Berthold Hawkeye, whipped out a sheet of paper and placed it along her back. Her head turned around to see what was on it: an inked sketch of a complex and intricate transmutation array. Other than the intertwined snakes and the salamander, Riza couldn't make a head or toe of the bizarre drawing. Her skin felt the tremble of Berthold's fingers. _

_"At last, I'm able to transcribe my life's worth of research onto a safe, reliable place." he muttered excitedly. _

_He seemed to be talking to himself rather than to his daughter, for his glassy eyes were intensely fixed to the sketch. "No one would think of finding it here...only my apprentice-if he is someday worthy of even casting his eyes on it. There's no time to lose...with this cursed illness I might drop dead any minute...have to do it...have to do it now..."_

_Riza stared at her father as if he's really lost it now. Berthold placed his palms directly onto the paper._

_"Hold still until I'm done." he commanded. _

_As soon as his hands pressed down, riveting spears of pain pierced through Riza's back. Her mouth opened slightly in shock then gritted her teeth as she gripped the armrests. She heard a crackling of electricity above her ears and saw tinges of blue at the corners of her eyes. Riza had no idea what he was doing, or what was happening to her. She was a strong woman, she wouldn't dare cry out loud in front of her father. Yet her mind screamed and cried and protested at the pain. Berthold applied more pressure, and the burning sensation increased by tenfolds. She felt as if someone was roasting her on a grill. She bit on her lip so hard that it bled, and her knuckles were white from gripping the armrests so hard. Riza swore she thought she could feel wet inky needles sink through her skin._

_'God, it hurts.' her mind screeched. 'I'm being burned by hellfire. Please God, if you exist, please make it stop...'_

_Her breath came in hard pants and gasps. No longer able to keep her eyes open, she shut them tight till she could see white stars._

_'I'm dying...I feel like I'm dying...what did I do to make Father do this to me?'_

Then she broke down. The pain was too much for even her strong spirit to bear. She arched her back and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"_AAAAAAAAH! GOD HELP MEEEE_!"

"Dammit! Give her some more sedation!"

"This is the last one we've got, doctor!"

"Inject it already! We can't let the damn cord get dislodged!"

Riza felt a sting at her wrist, but it was a mere ripple compared to the tsunami of agony that tore through her back. Some hands restrained her and kept the syringe that was lodged in her spine steady.

"That's right, keep it still! We'll never be able to perform a proper surgery without that spinal injection!"

"And if that syringe moves and hits a nerve, she might as well end up paralyzed!"

Riza's eyes flew open to see a couple of masked people clad in white smocks and wielding sharp-looking tools. A wave of fear immediately thrilled through her.

'Who are these strange people? Is it Seth? Have they come to torture me again...?'

"No, no...get away from me!" Riza weakly moaned. She thrashed and struggled on the operation table like a fish out of water.

"Miss Hawkeye, you musn't move around like that! You'll-"

"That's it! I've heard enough!"

"Field Marshal Mustang sir, you have to leave the operation room immedia-"

"I don't care! Get out of the way! I need to see her!"

A doctor tried to approach her side until her arm swung and smacked him at his stomach. The doctor quickly backed away and winced. Roy's own stomach clenched when he saw Riza's eyes. Her pupils were dazed and misty from the sleepy effect of the injections. But her pained, frightened expression reminded him of an animal hunted and trapped in a corner. She probably couldn't distinguish between friend or foe, and this greatly saddened Roy. He has never seen her so afraid and helpless. He took his turn to go forward and narrowly avoided an arm swing.

Roy rushed right up to the table's side and put a firm, comforting hand on Riza's unmoving sprained arm. (And taking care of not touching her wrist.)

He stared directly into her frightened eyes and stroked her arm soothingly.

"It's gonna be okay, Lieutenant." he said softly. "These are doctors...good people that'll take away your pain. It's gonna be okay...trust me..."

Roy felt as if his words were empty and meaningless, but they seemed to do the trick.

Riza's thrashing began to cease upon gazing into the twin dark pools that held genuine worry and compassion. She blinked twice, and her face relaxed as she recognized the voice.

"Sir..."

"Sssh, don't talk. Just rest for now. You're safe and sound with me."

Riza's pupils dilated and her eyes fluttered to a close. Her body became completely prone and still and her breathing slowed down to an even pace. One of the doctors next to Roy shook his head in awe.

"Either all the morphine finally kicked in, or you're a much better sedation all by yourself, sir."

The Field Marshal stopped stroking Riza's arm and sighed wearily.

"Just doing what I can. She's had a much rougher night than I could ever have. It was time I do something about it."

"Erm, with all due respect sir," the surgeon general said. "Now that Miss Hawkeye is completely sedated, we would ask you once again to leave the room..."

"What does she need surgery for? As far as I can see, sticking that needle down her spine didn't do her any good." Roy said heatedly. He knew that it was foolish to start a dispute with a medical expert when he wasn't familiar with medicine in the first place. Yet he reacted to his fierce protective instincts and hated to let Riza go through more of the horrific agony. The veteran doctor sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"We inspected her injuries as soon as the ambulance brought her in." he replied patiently. "First off, her wrist is badly sprained and bruised. Second, there is a bullet lodged in her ankle bone. Thirdly, she suffers a heavy wound in her vaginal area. The tissues are badly ripped and damaged. This calls for not one mere operation, but _three_ of the like. To top that off, she urgently requires a blood transplant from all that blood she's lost."

Had it been a much more casual talk, it sounded as if he was reciting a grocery list, but the doctor's grave tone told Roy he was dead serious about the entire matter. Then the doctor's eyes softened a bit.

"I understand how important she is to you. It's rare for soldiers to show such concern for their comrades. Usually they are too proud to admit it. But I can see you're a passionate officer who deeply cares for his subordinates. My medical team and I will see to it that we will take care of Miss Hawkeye and deliver the quickest, most painless series of operations in the best of our ability. Please wait outside with your coworkers in the meantime."

Roy met the surgeon general's steady, sincere gaze and inclined his head. He left the operation room to wait outside with Grumman, Rebecca and Maria. As soon as he appeared, all three officers sprang forward with worried inquiries.

"How is she?" Rebecca asked with wide eyes.

"We heard a scream from inside." Maria chimed in.

"Is she all right?" Grumman asked anxiously.

Roy shook his head and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"There was...a rocky start in beginning the surgical procedure. But she's fine now...she has to be...she's such a strong-willed soldier..."

Roy sounded as if he was reassuring to himself instead rather than to those around him.

"Where are the others? Havoc, Breda and the rest?" Roy looked like he wanted to change the subject.

"I got a telephone call from Alphonse right after I contacted the hospital." Grumman said. "They don't know about anything yet."

Roy blew out a shaky sigh. "Good, good. " His legs felt wobbly and weak, and he swayed a little as he stood.

"Hey Roy, you're gonna be alright?" Maria asked.

"I...I need to take a breather outside. I need to be alone for a little while." he muttered numbly.

"You're not going to wait with us? They're going to start the procedure right now." Grumman stated.

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be able to handle all the pressure if I wait just outside the operation room. Besides, the smell of disinfect is irritating me."

The other soldiers nodded understandingly as Roy left the emergency room. The halls were uniformly white and plain as far as his eyes could see. He passed through the waiting room and glanced at its various occupants. A small child sniffled as he cradled a limp arm, while his mother fussed over him quietly. An elderly man sitting at the other side was coughing so violently that his entire body shook the seat. When they momentarily raised their heads to meet his eyes, Roy turned his gaze ahead respectfully. He pushed open the glass entrance doors and leaned against the nearest pillar. He slowly sank down until his knees were totally bent. He shut his eyes tightly and drew both hands to his face.

'It's my fault...it's all my fault...if I had been there for her the entire night this would've never happened.'

Now he wished that he never went to the party in the first place. A proper gentleman would consider Riza's preferences and skip the celebration in order to keep her company. Roy felt like such a selfish prick for going to the bar without her. Roy groaned miserably and rubbed his fingers at his forehead.

'And all those mean things I've said to her...it only adds salt to her wounds. I didn't do ANYTHING to help the situation. Some alchemist I am.'

Roy always followed the path of alchemy, believing that it was the answer to help the world and its people. He also believed that alchemy would save him from his sins. But all the knowledge and manipulation of matter could only go so far. Alchemy can't save all the Ishbalans he had reduced to ashes. Alchemy can't free a guilty conscience. And worst of all, alchemy can't do anything to heal Riza's broken mind and body. Chemical equations, conservation of mass and transmutation circles are just about as useful as flame alchemy in the rain right now.

'When she wakes up..._if_ she wakes up, what will she think of me? I won't be even worthy to look into her eyes and tell her how I'm so terribly, terribly sorry...'

"Roy! It lifts my heart to come upon you here!" a deep voice boomed.

Roy was too downtrodden to flinch. He merely rose his head when Armstrong strode over to him in giant steps.

"The party just ended. We were planning to throw a huge cheer when we called out your name, you know. But you didn't come back still, so I went out my way to look for you, and here you are at the Central medical center!"

Upon seeing Roy's bleary eyes, Armstrong's merry smile dropped like a rock.

"Oh, you're not sick, are you?"

Roy gazed at his close trustworthy friend only second to Hughes.

"Not me. Hawkeye." he sighed.

Armstrong's brows furrowed deeply in concern. He was well aware that Riza was a highly capable woman who could carry out missions even better than a softie like himself. But something about Roy's traumatized expression greatly unsettled Armstrong.

"Oh dear. Whatever happened to her?"

"Tortured and raped." Roy replied bluntly. The words sent a chilling shock through Armstrong's muscular frame.

"The doctors are performing surgery on her as we speak. I could've done something about the entire thing. If there was something...anything I could do..."

"You've found her in time before it was too late." Armstrong pointed out. "That is something worth noting. And it does no good to regret the past, we should only move forward and look to the future. Isn't that the belief among us alchemists?"

"Belief, huh?" Roy glared at his feet sullenly. "I don't know what to believe in anymore. What good does my title as State Alchemist do to me? For all the military power I have, it did nothing to save Hughes. This time it did nothing to save Riza."

Roy felt a tug behind his eyes and his throat tighten.

"And the government is considering me to be a potential Fuhrer candidate. If I ever become President, who will be next to die, the entire country!"

Roy vehemently wished that he had his pyrotex gloves handy. He felt a vicious urge to flame everything in his sight. As he looked up at the hospital, it seemed to swim and distort in his vision.

Then he realized he was crying.

Roy did nothing to wipe away the tears that slowly trickled down his face. Still he did nothing, and the tears dripped down his chin as he stared past the hospital's highest point and into the night sky.

"I'm a failure. _A no-good, fucking failure_." Roy's normally deep and steady voice trembled as he spoke.

Major Armstrong's own face was wet with tears upon seeing Roy breaking down. Armstrong clapped a giant hand that almost engulfed Roy's entire back.

"Don't say that, Roy." The Major's voice was unusually soft and quiet. "Lt. Colonel Hawkeye won't approve of that kind of talk. She wants you to keep a positive attitude and continue to persue your goal. And I'm sure that she won't let you fulfill it alone. Hawkeye is an extraordinary soldier with guts; she'll do anything to live on in order to see you become Fuhrer. So straighten up that back, sharpish now, and trust that she'll come out alright."

The big Major's firm, encouraging words reassured Roy's shaken state of mind. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

"Thank you for your support, Armstrong. From now on you will never catch me blubbering like a baby ever again."

Armstrong smiled. "That's the spirit. That's more like the Roy Mustang I know: a man who likes to be large and in charge."

The two men sat on the steps and said no more. Roy and Armstrong wandered off into their own thoughts and gazed about the serene night landscape. A few minutes went by, thirty, then to forty minutes. Roy swore he thought he had the layout of the night stars memorized. When it felt like the approximate hour, Roy fidgeted in his place a little.

'Shouldn't the surgery be done by now? What's taking so long?'

Roy wrung his fingers anxiously.

'I hope there weren't any complications. No, if I think negatively, I will only attract negative things. I have to think positive, for Riza's sake.'

"Roy Mustang!"

Roy perked his head up at the voice. He spun around to see Rebecca hurrying down the steps till she reached their level. Upon noticing Roy's companion she quickly saluted.

"Good evening, Major Armstrong."

"And to you, my good lady." he nodded back. "I pray, is Riza doing well?"

Rebecca blinked in astonishment and turned to Roy questioningly.

"He knows." Roy said. "I trust him enough to keep it a secret from everyone else until the time comes."

"Well, about Riza..." Rebecca dropped her gaze to the ground briefly. "The surgery was completed with no trouble, and she's being wheeled to the recovery room."

"But...?" Roy sighed in relief, yet he also caught Rebecca's wary tone and body stance.

Rebecca drew a deep breath before answering: "There's still a blood transfusion to be done. The surgeon general reported Riza's blood type to be O negative, and none of us have the same type as Riza. Not even Grumman is of the same type. As a type O, she can only receive blood from the exact type. Not AB, A, or B. She needs type O blood, and fast."

Roy bit his lip and his mind raced. He can't remember anyone with type O blood, nor did he know anyone with it.

Then Armstrong raised a hand.

"Wait. I believe that from my birth certificate I am an O negative. Would I be a suitable donor for Hawkeye?"

Roy wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "Hold on a second...Major, I thought you were A positive like the rest of your family."

Armstrong rubbed a hand to the back of his bare head sheepishly.

"Well you see, blood type is the only thing that _hasn't _been passed down through the Armstrong generations. Not consistently, at least. I believe that my great-great grandsire had it, and it was a recessive gene, so it skips every other generation, and-"

"Thank you Major." Roy interrupted politely. The last thing he wanted right now was another dose of Armstrong's illustrious family history accounts.

Rebecca seemed to share the same thought.

"Yes, your generosity is most gratifying. Come on, I'll show you the room."

The men followed her back into the hospital. After a couple of stair flights and turns they arrived to their destination. The glass windows were covered by curtains for privacy, but Rebecca could tell by two pairs of feet that Grumman and Maria were inside. Through a sliver of glass Rebecca motioned to Maria to open the doors.

"Oh! Major Armstrong sir, what a surprise." she saluted her superior.

"Hello, Lieutenant Ross." he replied. "May we come in?"

Maria quickly motioned them in.

"Of course, of course! The surgeon general went away to call someone, but you can come in for now."

Roy hesitated at the door as Armstrong and Rebecca entered through.

"Riza's asleep." Maria said softly. "Don't worry, there's no need to speak with her right now."

Roy relaxed a little. He feared having to face her while she was awake. He certainly didn't feel ready to talk with her yet.

Roy stepped inside quietly and closed the door behind him.

The recovery room held a peaceful atmosphere, complete with peach-colored walls, a few paintings and an overlook of Central downtown at the far opposite end of the room. A clean, white hospital bed occupied the center, and in that bed occupied its latest patient.

Riza Hawkeye, dressed into a loose white hospital smock, laid with her upper body slightly propped up by the reclining section of the bed. Her bandaged right foot protruded from the bedside a little awkwardly. Her uninjured wrist bore an IV that connected to a bag of antibiotic. From the pace of the rhythmic machine beeping, the liquid was pumping in at an alarmingly rapid rate.

Riza herself appeared to be serene and blank. Her eyelids were closed over without any sign of anxiety or pain. Her chest and nostrils moved in sync as she breathed quietly and peacefully. It was the ghostly pale complexion that gave away her critical condition. Her skin lacked in the normal healthy pink hue to the point that she was almost the same paleness as the white bedsheets.

Suddenly there was a twisting of keys, and the doors unlatched. The surgeon general arrived with a large medical contraption and a familiar face that helped him wheel it in.

"Dr. Knox! What are you doing here?" Roy exclaimed, taking care not to raise his voice too loud.

The grizzled old doctor gestured toward Riza.

"The surgeon general figured that I'd be the one to supervise her wellbeing, since she would prefer a doctor whom she's familiar with. My son and I will also be in charge of gathering forensic evidence from her...incident."

Roy was grateful that Dr. Knox didn't mention the real word. Rape was a word with a nasty, cruel ring to it that made him sick to the stomach.

The surgeon general hooked up the machine's cords.

"Have you found a type O donor for Miss Hawkeye yet? She can only go on for a few days before she is subjected to a coma that could last for weeks."

Armstrong stepped forward.

"I have type O blood. I'd be happy to donate some."

The surgeon general sized up the Major's considerable bulk.

"You look swell enough to go through the transfusion without much trouble. What was your most recent meal?"

"Hmm, at the party I had my fair share of salad and Xingese spring rolls."

The surgeon general nodded in approval.

"Excellent. It's important that a donor consumes essential nutrients before giving blood. The last thing we'd want is to give Miss Hawkeye blood that's chock full with sodium and excessive sugar."

Armstrong took a seat next to the machine. The surgeon general and Dr. Knox worked to attach tubes to Armstrong and Riza. The doctors began a complicated process of calculating blood amounts exported and imported between the two soldiers. After confirming blood type compatibility, the actual transfusion went underway.

Roy tried to look away from the red flowing tube at Riza's arm and focused his eyes onto her face. She continued to sleep soundlessly and was oblivious to the entire procedure. A few minutes passed, and Armstrong still showed no signs of dizziness. He sat there patiently and comfortably, as if he were only waiting for tea to be served instead of having his blood drawn put by liters.

Then Roy sighed quietly in relief when Dr. Knox sealed the tubes and turned off the machine. As the Flame Alchemist, he was much more used to seeing roasted bodies than running blood. The metallic, musky smell of the red bodily fluids made him squeamish.

Armstrong was given a bandage to his arm and made to leave.

"I'd love to stay, but my sister and the rest of my family is expecting me at home. Please send my most heartfelt regards and wishes to Lt. Colonel Hawkeye."

Roy nodded sadly.

"I see. Thank you so much for your kindness, Major. It never ceases to amaze me. Take care now."

The Major nodded back.

"It's the least I can do. I bid you all good night."

"You too, Major." Everyone replied.

As soon as Armstrong departed, Rebecca checked her wristwatch and sighed.

"It's almost midnight. Maria and I ought to get home, too. We'll promise to visit Riza first thing in the morning tomorrow."

"Alright." Roy said and bid them farewell.

Maria and Rebecca each gave Riza a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.

"What about you, Lt. General?" Roy turned to Grumman.

"The doctors told me during the surgery that family members are allowed to stay with patients overnight."

The normally cheerful elder sighed sadly. "It's the least I can do to support my granddaughter. Don't blame yourself too harshly, Roy. I too, have good reason to be ashamed. I could've been there for my granddaughter when she needed me, her only surviving relative."

Grumman reached out to brush Riza's cheek gently. It was there that Grumman and Riza looked like a true grandfather-granddaughter pair, rather than merely two mutual soldiers or colleagues. Roy patted a reassuring hand on Grumman's shoulder.

The doctors stood at the sidelines quietly and politely. To them, nothing was more touching than a trio of soldiers so closely-knit and together, as if they were always a family.

"If you'd like, Field Marshal Mustang, you may stay overnight too." Dr. Knox said. "Under usual circumstances we don't allow even close friends to stay with the patient. But with the limited kin Hawkeye has, I don't see anything wrong with bending the rules a little bit."

Roy looked over to Dr. Knox appreciatively.

"Yes, I'd like that very much. I won't forget this kind gesture."

Dr. Knox shuffled his feet. He was never used to handling compliments.

"Erm, well, we'll leave you two for the night. There are two extra cots if you unfold those chairs by the bed. G'night."

The two doctors wheeled the machine out of the room and shut the door quietly.

Grumman removed his glasses and rubbed his drooping eyes.

"I'm bushed. It's time for some shuteye. D'you want me to lay out yours, Roy?"

Roy shook his head and remained at Riza's bedside.

"You go on and get some rest, Lt, General. I don't feel like sleeping anytime soon."

"All right, Roy. Take it easy."

Roy waited until the old officer settled down into his makeshift bed. Soon, Grumman's light snores made a rhythmic symphony with the IV pumping. Through the moon-lit darkness that prevailed the room, the reflection of the glass window reflected Riza's upper body with a bluish night shade. Roy could see that her skin was gradually regaining its healthy color. He wondered how long she would remain in this unconscious state. Roy folded his hands and bowed his head till it touched the metal rails of the bed.

He couldn't believe he was doing this. Roy had never been a religious advocate; he has always followed the laws of alchemy and his own rational decisions. There was no room in a belief for some supernatural force that governed the possibility of an afterlife. But alchemy was of no use to him at the moment. And the chaotic events tonight rendered his mind into a confused, distraught mess. What else could he turn to as a source of comfort? He figured he would give praying a shot.

'Dear God...if you're there, please hear me out. Can you see Riza now? She desperately needs your help. And I need yours too. I've made many mistakes and committed grave sins. I don't care if I'm bound for hell for now. I really don't. This isn't me, it's about someone I deeply care about. I only ask a simple favor: give Riza the godly strength and grace she needs to live through all this trauma. That's all I ask. Nothing more, nothing less. Seeing Riza get better is a darn fine equivalent exchange for me...'

Roy remained and eventually drifted off to sleep in that same postrate position for the rest of the night.


	5. The Poem

**When I had my appendix ruptured a few years ago, it was on the day to check out of the hotel and go home. But of course, that wasn't the case. The night before, I was hit with the worst stomachache in my life. It felt like I just ate dinner and then someone sat on me. :/**

**So after the surgery, I had to stay away from home for an extended week. It wasn't too bad, but I remember the stuff I really hated the most: in order to CAT scan my stomach, the doctors made me drink this disgusting dye that looked and tasted an awful like lime Gatorade. And the IV...aagh I hated it sooooo much. I remember that I had to go to the bathroom every ten minutes because of the stuff that pumped through my wrist. Luckily the tv had Adult Swim, so all I did all week was watch Inuyasha and Fullmetal Alchemist. ^^ (After a while I got sick of Inuyasha because it dragged on for far too long)**

**So Riza's pain is sort of my pain too, lol. Remembering that appendix incident inspired the story idea of combining a favorite franchise and real-life experience. So I hope you continue to read on and enjoy this next chapter!**

Stumble Through the Dark (5)

The Poem

The warm sunlight basking Roy's back woke him up from his slumber. He moaned groggily and flexed his cramped arms. His joints ached from sleeping on them all night. Roy slowly turned to shut the curtains. He winced as the back of his eyes stung from the white morning light. Then he looked back at Riza, who was still in the same sleeping position as last night. Roy let a sliver of the glass window exposed; he loved the way the sunlight illuminated Riza's golden locks. She would've easily passed as a sleeping beauty in the classic fairy tale, or even the sun goddess so many Ishvalans worship. The sunlight on the white fabric of the bedsheets and Riza's hospital gown created a faint halo around her, making the entire scene look blissfully supernatural. Roy's eyes softened fondly and he took his seat by the bedside once more.

"Good morning, Riza. I wish you were awake to see this lovely day."

Roy glanced over at Grumman's cot. The old man was tucked comfortably into the sheets with his mouth slightly agape. His mousetache bristled every time he snored in and out.

Roy then glanced back at Riza and stopped in mid-turn. Something was off about her complexion. Her skin looked sufficiently pink and healthy with only a few pale areas. But when the sunlight hit her full in the face, Roy got a glimpse of a thin coat of perspiration around her forehead. Her bangs were damp and limp from the sweat.

Maybe it was the heat from the sun...?

Roy placed a hand on her forehead and was startled by the hotness underneath his fingers.

The door opened to reveal the new arrivals. Dr. Knox and his son, a younger replica of his elder, stepped inside.

"Morning, Mustang." Dr. Knox nodded towards him. "How are things going?"

"All right...with me, at least." Roy said uncertainly. "But I don't know about Riza...I'm not sure...her forehead feels pretty hot. I don't know if it's from the sunlight. Could you check on her, please?"

Dr. Knox clapped a firm hand on Roy's shoulder.

"Easy there, soldier. Let's get a look at our patient."

The doctor's son checked her temperature.

"Approximately a hundred and two degrees. Not too bad."

"Not too bad?" Roy sputtered, trying his best not to tremble with indignation. "She's having a fullblown fever, for crying out loud."

Dr. Knox's son dipped his head politely.

"How rude of me, I forgot to properly introduce myself. My name is Audley Knox." He offered his hand, and Roy shook it. "I just came out fresh from medical school. Please excuse what I said earlier. Allow me to explain: after a blood transfusion it's normal for the recipient of the donated blood to undergo a bout of fever. Her body temperature pushes the limit a little bit, but thankfully it's not high enough to be life-threatening. Trust me, a week of fever is much better than the donor's blood getting rejected. The situation would be, if you would pardon my crude language, really fucked up."

Roy immediately took a liking to Audley. His speech was educated and flawlessly well-mannered. He might've been mistaken for a snotty, pompous man of it weren't for his friendly and sincere nature.

Roy exhaled and relaxed.

"Thanks for the reassurance. I really needed it."

"Hmm? Oh, dear me!"

Grumman stumbled out from his cot and straightened his creaking back.

"How embarassing is this? Please forgive this old codger and his dreadful sleeping patterns!"

"S'all right, sir," Dr. Knox waved a hand dismissively. "My own son had to drag me outta bed to get here at 5:00 in the blinkin' morning. I gotta say I can't blame him; Lt. Colonel Hawkeye is his first ever real patient."

"Really?" Roy said in surprise. "You talk as if you've treated hundreds before!"

Audley laughed and shuffled his feet modestly.

"Thanks for the compliment, sir."

"We came here this morning so that we may examine her." Dr. Knox coughed. "We're gonna get to the bottom of this case and see exactly how she was attacked."

The senior doctor had a forensic kit in one hand...probably filled to the brim with more sharp, prodding tools. Roy didn't even want to think about how they'll be used. But he had no choice but to place his trust upon the two doctors.

"You're not going to hurt her too much, would you?"

"As my first patient, I'll make sure that my old dad and I will do our very best to be careful with her. You have our word."

Roy lifted his hand from Riza's head reluctantly.

"Okay, Audley. I know I can trust you and your father." he said.

Roy and Grumman stepped out of the recovery room and shut the door firmly. The two men jumped from the startling voices behind them.

"Roy! Lt. General!"

Maria and Rebecca were sitting a little away from the room. They got up and rushed to meet the men.

"How's Riza this morning?" Rebecca fretted.

"She has a fever, but it's a normal side effect." Roy replied. "Dr. Knox and his son Audley are checking on her, so we're not allowed inside for a while."

"We're too late." Maria sighed. "We should've come sooner."

"Don't worry about it. How was your night?" Grumman asked.

"Well, we didn't go home right away." Rebecca explained. "The security officers let us take Riza's groceries after they did all their crime scene investigation business. Hayate was kind enough to lead us to her apartment."

"How did you get the groceries in? Her apartment is locked tight." Roy inquired.

"We didn't get it in. Hayate did." Maria replied. "He squeezed each bag through his doggie door. There didn't seem to be any frozen food, so I think they'll be okay inside the house for a while."

"What's today?" Roy asked suddenly. All the events from last night made him disoriented.

"Saturday. Why?"

"Okay, good. If it's the weekend, I don't have to show up at work and explain myself to the guys."

"They'll find out eventually. We can't keep it a secret forever." Grumman said.

"I'll tell them when the time is right. I'm sure Riza doesn't want a whole lot of attention and worry from her friends. I know her." Roy took a seat and stared intently at the curtains that concealed the recovery room. The four of them remained still and patient outside for what seemed like hours filled with silent tension. As soon as the doors cracked open, Roy stood swiftly to attention.

"Well? What are the details?" Roy braced himself for the worst.

Dr. Knox used two fingers to shove the glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"We carefully swabbed out the foreign fluids from her vaginal area. We examined each swab and found different traces of DNA from the seminal fluid."

"Meaning that the Lt. Colonel was most likely...penetrated...by more than one person." Audley said carefully.

"Riza was...gang-raped?" Maria breathed in shock.

"Great. More of those bastards to send to the deepest shitholes of hell." Roy growled through clenched teeth.

"Steady now, my boy." Grumman stayed Roy's trembling, glove-laden fist. "Blowing this hospital to bits isn't going to help any of us."

Audley and Dr. Knox exchanged an apprehensive glance. They knew that Roy wouldn't be able to handle the news of their results well. And Dr. Knox, who used to work with Roy during the Ishval massacre, knew too well how devastating his alchemy can get to be. In the hour of examining Riza, it only took about thirty-five minutes of actually doing it. The rest of the time was discussing on how to spill the truth without causing a lot of stress.

"Is there any way to link the DNA to faces or names?" Rebecca attempted to take control of the situation.

"Unfortunately, the technology we've got now won't take us any further than that." said Dr. Knox. "But there is one code of DNA that was found much more commonly than the rest. We detected traces from her sprained arm, stomach, breasts...and yes, between her legs too."

"We assume that the DNA could belong to the individual mainly responsible for the crime." Audley said. "But we must leave the proper judgement to the law. Right now we don't even have enough evidence to identify each and every culprit."

"I was just reminded of an intriguing statistic I've read about sometime ago." Maria raised her finger to speak. "Ninety percent of rape victims reported that their attackers were someone they knew."

"That's true." Audley nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps, if Miss Hawkeye regains consciousness, we might ask her to retell her account of the attack."

"Let's not jump too quickly to that, though." Roy cut in. "She might not be comfortable if we make her remember those terrible things."

"Of course, of course. We'll take that to consideration. For now we'll just focus on hoping for her speedy recovery." Audley stated assuredly.

"You all can go in now." Dr. Knox gestured to the open doors. "If she needs anything, there's a whole desk of nurses down the right hallway."

"Um, Dr. Knox?"

Dr. Knox halted in his tracks.

"Hmm?"

Roy bit his lip nervously. "Did you...test her...to see if she was--you know..."

The doctor shook his grizzled head. "We dunno, sir. Too early to know right now. Give or take a few weeks, and we'll give her a pregnancy test then."

The two doctors rounded a corner and were gone to check on other patients.

Roy didn't know whether to feel relieved or wary. He really didn't like all this waiting. Everything to him seemed to require so much time: whether Riza will wake up, whether she is pregnant or not, whether if she'll ever get better. He couldn't stand the tension that gnawed at his insides.

Roy entered the room, and Maria, Rebecca and Grumman followed behind him. They gathered at Riza's bedside, taking care not to hover too close over her.

"How long is she going to have this fever?" Rebecca asked.

"About a week, hopefully less than that." Roy touched Riza's warm, still hand. "In all my years of knowing her, Riza was never sick. _Never_. I remember one week when there was a bad flu running around headquarters. Half of the officers took days off at home. All of my subordinates came down with it. But not Riza. She was the only one who kept me company in that big office. And you could never guess what she did."

Roy smiled a little at the memory.

* * *

_Roy twirled the pen in his hand until it looked like a miniature windmill. His other hand was warily over his mouth out of paranoia. The whole office was plagued with coughing, sniffing and the occasional sneezing. Havoc and Breda shivered in their seats as their pens scrawled over the papers. Poor Fuery's eyes were so red that he could've been taken for a half Ishbalan. He spent more time rubbing at them than actually fiddling with the radio. Falman inched away from the rest, but he himself looked a little pale in the face. After a sixteenth horrendous sneeze from Breda, Roy clacked his pen on the desk and rose abruptly._

_"For God's sake, if you're just sneezing and coughing up your guts all over the place, just go home." he spat irritably._

_Fuery turned his bloodshot eyes to his superior._

_"B-b-but sir, we thought you wanted us to stay strong and help you finish today's work."_

_"So we didden say anythin an' we hung in dere." Havoc mumbled through a wad of tissue that clogged up his nose._

_Roy felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for his men. He had always berated them about them being the most talented yet spineless soldiers he's ever seen. And now, they kept their mouths shut about any excuses to be dismissed...just so that they can prove how competent they can be. But Roy doubted that they could last through the day in one piece. He tried his best not to sound like a sympathetic softie in front of them._

_"Erm, don't strain yourself." he said awkwardly. "A soldier should know his limitations too. Go, you're dismissed for today."_

_The men rose from their seats gratefully._

_"A thousand thanks, Colonel!" Fuery weeped._

_"You're our savior on earth!" Breda exclaimed._

_Roy grunted at the flattering compliments and waved them away hastily._

_"Yeah, whatever. Go before you get me sick."_

_Riza Hawkeye entered the office just as the men proceeded to leave it. She watched each and every one of them file out with amused curiosity. Havoc thrust his sniffling face close to her own._

_"Don't you jus' lube de Colonel? I know I do."_

_"Haaaachoo! Boy, do I love the Colonel too!" Breda clapped Havoc on the back as they left the office. "Ya hear that, Mustang? We loooove yoooou!"_

_A few soldiers in the hallway glanced at Roy's open office with raised eyebrows._

_Roy groaned and pulled at his hair in embarassment._

_"Lieutenant. The door, please."_

_Riza caught the dangerous leer in his eyes and hastily shut the office door._

_"Damn fevers. Makes any grown man delirious." Roy mumbled. "I swear, I was_ this close_ to shutting their mouths before they could even get home." He shook two pinched fingers to show his near breaking point. Riza only shook her head as a little smile lingered on her lips._

_"Give them a break, sir. They admire you so much."_

_"I DID give them a break." he replied grumpily. "And they made a big show about it. I only excused them so we won't have a little Bubonic Plague all over this office."_

_Riza, however, was nowhere as gullible as her coworkers. Years of working under Roy helped her to see right through his motives. Deep down he cared deeply for his subordinates, and the last thing he wanted was silent suffering from them. As far as she was concerned, Roy simply sucked at covering up his feelings with excuses. But she was also aware of his volatile temper, and she decided best not to tell the truth._

_Roy scrutinized her thoughtfully, and she straightened her posture a little._

_"What is it, sir?"_

_"Do you feel alright? You don't look too well. Were you away from the office because you had to go to the bathroom and..." Roy shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He seemed genuinely concerned as he asked her. He also seemed very awkward in admitting it._

_"No sir, it's not like that." Riza quickly reassured him. "Please don't misunderstand; I was away on paperwork errands, not the bathroom."_

_Roy examined her again, and saw that she was fine and healthy like himself. He sighed and uncovered his hand from his mouth._

_"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I never should have doubted you. I forgot that your immune system's as strong as Fort Briggs."_

_"Thank you, sir. Oh, I almost forgot." At the mention of Briggs, Riza dug through the papers tucked under her arm. She pulled out a small book and held it out to Roy._

_"Getting this from Central library was also why I was away, sir."_

_Roy received the book from her hand. He wrinkled his eyebrows in distaste._

_"What is this, Lieutenant? I got top marks for mathematics and science, not literature. If this is just a book to read while I'm bored, I'm afraid I have other pastimes to indulge myself with."_

_"It's not just any book, sir." Riza said patiently._

_Roy peered at the cover._

_"'Poems of War and Remembrance?' Lieutenant, if you really insist on me reading, you could've at least gotten me some dirty magazines."_

_Riza resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her Colonel's bad taste in reading material. "It's a collection of war poems. With all due respect sir, reading on porn isn't exactly the mark of an educated man, let alone a State Alchemist."_

_"But why would I want to read some 'remembrance' poems that make me remember those horrible days of Ishbal? You want me to bring up what I've been trying to forget all these years?"_

_Roy's tone lost the joking grumpiness, and it was now replaced with sober seriousness._

_Riza knew this was coming. He was always very touchy when it came to those days of war and hell._

_"That's why I bookmarked certain pages, sir." She tapped on the sticky tabs that stuck out from the book here and there. "I handpicked the ones you should read and reflect on. But first and most important, I believe you should start with this one."_

_She flipped to the page and carefully bent the spine._

_"'Charge of the Light Brigade', by Alfred Lord Tennyson." Roy read. He looked up from the book and put on a dismayed, pouting face._

_"Do I have to, Lieutenant? This poem looks painfully long. I don't have time for this."_

_'This is Colonel Mustang, the indestructable Flame Alchemist? Give him an enemy site and he'll flame it like a real man. Give him paper with words and he'll whine like a little kid.' Riza thought ruefully. It was time she asserted her fearsome reputation. Riza crossed her arms and stared critically at her Colonel._

_"Sir, it's either the paperwork or the poem. Which do you prefer?" she snapped sternly._

_Roy flinched and tried not to wince. "Jeez, Lieutenant. If you think this poem is so important to be considered equal to paperwork, I'll read it."_

_"Good." Riza nodded in approval and went back to her office seat._

_Roy held the book up to his face and pretended to scan through it intensely._

_"Oh, may I add another note, sir? I'd like you to have it memorized and understand the meaning to it. Seek the truth beyond the truth; wasn't that what you alchemists always say?"_

_Roy suppressed a groan and saluted wryly._

_"As you wish, Ms. Hawkeye." he said in the high-pitched, obedient voice of a young schoolboy._

_Riza's mouth curved up to one side in a smirk and she returned to filling out her and Roy's paperwork._

_"Just why do you want me to know about this poem so urgently, Lieutenant?"_

_"Let's just say it's your...instruction manual...to becoming the top Fuhrer this country's ever seen."_

* * *

Grumman, Maria and Rebecca had listened to Roy's story with rapt interest. When he finished, Grumman sat back and nodded appreciatively.

"I can see why my little Riza would force that upon you. She always loved that book, and it's only natural that she would share that with you."

"That was such a nice story." Maria said. "Did you, by any chance, memorized it?"

"Well, not all of it." Roy admitted sheepishly. "But I did enjoy reading the poem. It's much better than doing the paperwork."

Rebecca put a hand to her stomach and checked her watch.

"Whoops, those are my queues telling me it's nearly lunchtime. Anyone want to go and get something to eat?"

"Here here!" Grumman rose from his seat.

"I think I'm getting a little hungry myself." Maria said.

Roy shook his head. "I'm not hungry. Someone's got to keep Riza company."

"We completely understand." Grumman said. "Perhaps we'll get you something to eat later once we get back."

"Okay. Have a good time, and be back soon." Roy waved them goodbye as they left the recovery room. Roy and Riza were alone from then on. Still she did not move from her bed. He didn't know how anyone could remain in one position for so long. He remembered his own windup in a hospital; he was always itching to move about despite his nagging wounds.

Roy gently squeezed Riza's hand, as if to let her know that he was still there with her.

"I guess it's just you and me, Riza." he murmured softly. "Everyone else went out to eat. I told them about the day you gave me that book. They really liked it."

The more he talked to her, the better he felt. It was a rare time where Roy could just speak freely of his feelings and not worry about anyone around him. It felt like praying, except that he was talking to someone far more precious and tangible to his eyes. He brushed his cool fingers across her burnt red cheeks and leaned closer to her head. The slow, serene pace of her breathing was like soothing medicine to his soul. He shut his eyes as he tried to dispel the memory of her shallow, painful gasps when the doctors first attempted to operate on her.

Roy continued to ramble on in order to regain his sense of calmness.

"I know that since those days of Homunculi hunting, you didn't keep track of me making sure I've read the book. But I'm glad to tell you that I finished that first poem you gave me. I understand now...why you wanted me to read it so badly. That charge was like the Ishbal war, the commander was King Bradley...and the soldiers...we were those soldiers fighting and dying. I also got what you meant when you told me to see the truth beyond the truth. The poem was actually a lesson, not just any story about war."

Roy gazed at her closed eyelids.

"You might not be able to hear me." Roy murmured sadly. "I didn't memorize the whole thing, but the least I can do is to recite my favorite parts. Maybe you'd like to hear it too."

Roy closed his eyes as he struggled to form the words in his mind. And from his mind he began in a smooth, rhythmatic chant. He never thought he could pull off the decent poetic flow that spilled from his lips.

"'Forward, the Light Brigade!'

Was there a man dismay'd?

Not tho' the soldiers knew

  Some one had blunder'd:

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

  Rode the six hundred."

As Roy recited, visions of fighting Ishbalans and Amestrians flashed through his mind. He pictured the heartless, ruthless commanders and the helpless underlings fighting for a lost cause. He saw himself, Armstrong, Hughes and his Riza among those ranks. Then he saw nothing but a repetition of engulfing flames, shattering gunshots and the broken cries of grown men.

"Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

  Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death..."

_"Into the mouth of Hell_

  _Rode the six hundred."_

Roy's eyes shot open and back to reality in shock. Then his gaze was returned by a pair of reddish-brown eyes, two windows to the soul of a strong soldier who refused to give up on him.

'This is a dream...it's got to be...'

But Riza's pupils remained open and steady, albeit a little tired and dazed from a long rest.

She cracked a weak smile at him and replied in a thin whisper:

"Well done sir. Those are my favorite parts, too."

**To those many, many people who alerted or faved this story, thank yooou! Those are the things that keep me going, and of course, reviews help aplenty too! The next chapter will be more Riza-centered, I assure you. Until then, stay tuned!**

**P.S: This next 40 days is the Lenten season. I've resolved to limit my ipod and laptop time to an hour a day, so updates will be less frequent. Please bear with me and continue to review so that I won't lose my resolve once Lent is over and Easter rolls around. :)**


	6. Recovery and Breakdown

**Got letters from Purdue, TCU, Baylor and HBU; the rest are colleges I've never even heard of, lol. No letters from Ivy League yet. :(**

**Ah, what the hell. I'm only a sophomore, so I guess I've got plenty of time to rack up those GPA points and kick SAT's ass. In the mean time, I'm also writing my butt off and preparing for an art portfolio review. Talk about extreme multi-tasking with academics, fanfic writing AND art classes. Don't even get me started with sports!! :3**

**Man, I thought this year was loaded. But judging from the pooped-out juniors, next year is gonna be an APOCALYPSE. o___o**

**There's this saying running around my circle of high school peeps: "**_**Freshmen want to be sophomores.  
Sophomores want to be juniors. Seniors want to be freshmen and juniors want to be DEAD. xD"**_

Stumble Through the Dark (6)

Recovery and Breakdown

"Riza! You're awake!"

Relief and joy flooded through Roy's entire being like a heavenly tidal wave.

Riza coughed and blinked her eyes a few times, as if she was adjusting to her new environment.

"I guess I am, sir."

"Did you really listen to everything I said?"

"Let's just say I woke up in time to hear your poem fragments, sir." she smiled at him.

All of a sudden, Roy felt a strange bubbling inside. Mirthful laughter bursted from his chest before he could hold it back in.  
Roy laughed and laughed until he doubled over from the stitch in his stomach. Riza stared at Roy and cocked her head to the side questioningly.

"What's so funny, sir?"

Roy found himself grinning back to her like an idiot.

"I'm just...happy. So damn happy. You being awake and all. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for the moment I would see your pretty eyes again."

Roy realized what he just said, and he blushed in embarassment. But it didn't do anything to quell his insanely good mood.

"Guess who donated blood to you?"

Riza stared back with a stumped expression.

"I don't know, sir. Who was it?"

Roy's mouth pulled up into a lopsided grin.

"Major Armstrong, that's who."

He tapped the IV line.

"With that Armstrong blood you've inherited, you'd better get well soon." he joked.

Riza rolled her eyes. "Now I'm going to have everything, huh? The Armstrong eyelashes, the Armstrong super strength..."

"Don't forget the Armstrong curly hair." Roy added.

Riza wrinkled her eyebrows.

"The Major's older sister didn't have curly hair."

"It's a dominant gene in the family." Roy smirked.

Riza looked up at the ceiling and pictured herself sporting a radiating, beautifully bald head...all save for a golden strand sticking out a mile long.

Her face was a picture of mock horror.

"God forbid!"

Roy bursted out laughing again at both the mental image and Riza's appalled expression.

"I should thank the Major when I have the chance to see him again."

Riza smiled widely and wiped at her sweaty forehead.

"Oh, do you want me to shut the window for you?" Roy made as if to get up.

Riza pulled the blankets closer to her and shook her head.

"No thank you sir, it's all right. I'd actually prefer to be in the sunlight; it's helping me to stop the shivering."

"So what's it like, getting a fever for the first time in your life?" Roy asked with a light, teasing grin.

Riza laid her head back against the pillow.

"For lack of a better word, I feel like crap, sir." she replied wryly. "I can't quite put my finger on how to explain it. It's like...my body's a heated, swollen volcano with an iceberg shoved inside the center. I feel very hot and yet very cold too. I'm sweating like crazy, but I swear I'd freeze to death if I take off these blankets."

"I couldn't have described it better myself." Roy smiled. He patted her shoulder affectionately.

"It won't stay too long. Dr. Knox said it only lasts for a week. I bet you'll be out of it in no time."

Roy and Riza remained quiet for a few moments.

"So...how did your operation go?" Roy's question broke the silence.

Riza stared blankly at him for a split second. Then she blinked and tried to think.

"To tell you the truth sir, I don't remember much of it."

"You didn't feel any kind of pain on your ankle? Your back?"

"Well...I did feel a weird shock down my spine." she admitted. "Then everything went black. From then to now, it all felt like a long nap. Why did you ask, sir? Would you like me to remember the details?"

"Er, no. It's best if you don't." Roy quickly said. He was glad that the operation went painlessly and smoothly, just as the surgeon general promised. He didn't have the heart to tell her of the sedation incident. It would worry her to death about how she must've looked in front of everyone.

Riza then decided to move around in place and stretch her cramped body. She flexed her wrists experimentally and frowned. She couldn't tell which was more throbbing and irritating: the sprained or the tubed one. Riza wiggled the toes and heel of her undamaged foot next. She knew not to move around her broken ankle. But it twitched reflexively with the other foot anyway. She winced as a bolt of pain lanced from the ankle tendons to her shin.

"Careful, Riza. Don't get too hard on yourself." Roy warned. "Take your time with each limb. Can you sit up?"

"I'll try, sir."

Riza's hands gripped the handrails for support as she struggled to straighten herself. An extremely unpleasant, tugging sensation nagged at her groin.  
It nearly made her let go of the handrails as she silently cursed in pain.

Riza tried to use her good leg to push up. But as soon as she did so, the sensation exploded inside her pelvic area so badly that her eyes saw dancing white stars.

"Ow ow ow ow..." she gritted her teeth.

"Riza!" Roy's arms were immediately around her as she gave up and leaned back. He laid her back into her original position as delicately as he could.

"It's no use, sir." Riza huffed in frustration. "I think I could feel the stitches inside; the tugging makes it really sore. If I can't even sit up, I think standing and walking are definitely out of the question."

Roy felt a pang of sorrow and sympathy for her. It must be hard for Riza to admit she had so much trouble with the pain in a feminine area. Especially to him, of all people. He really didn't know what to tell her.

"Maybe you should lay down like that for a while." he tried to assure her. "It might tear and bleed if you move it around too soon."

"That sounds like good advice, sir." Riza sighed.

Roy shifted the blankets back up to her chest again when the doors opened. Rebecca, Maria and Grumman entered, and their eyes bugged out at the sight.

"No way!" Rebecca squealed ecstatically.

She nearly dropped the bag in her hands as she and Maria rushed over to Riza's side. They carefully hugged and kissed her. When they pulled apart, Rebecca and Maria allowed Grumman to give his granddaughter a warm embrace. The three of them literally shook with sheer joy and excitement.

"I can't believe it! First a good lunch, then Riza's awake!" Maria exclaimed. "Oh happy, happy day!"

Grumman placed a weathered old palm over Riza's smooth hand.

"Welcome back. How are you feeling now, my dear?"

"A little tired, but I'm managing." she replied. "I can't move around a whole lot because..." Riza trailed off and averted her gaze.

"It's all right, Riza. I understand." Grumman said. "The surgeon general let us in on the medical details after we came back from lunch. I think Maria and Rebecca would be of more help when it comes to your situation."

"Oh! Speaking of lunch, we went over to the sandwich bar this afternoon. You know, where they make those godly cheesesteaks." Rebecca said. She brought up a bag in her hands. The aroma wafting around it was sorely tempting.

"I bought a giant Swiss melt for you, Roy. I thought you might get really hungry so late in the afternoon."

Roy accepted the bag gratefully. "Thanks, Rebecca. It's very considerate of you." He peered inside, and his eyes widened a little after getting a good look at the sandwich's size.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if I could even finish three quarters of this whopper."

Then he was hit with a great idea.

"Riza, would you like to have some of the sandwich? I'm sure you're even hungrier than I am." Roy glanced at his wristwatch.

"Nurses usually bring in lunch around noon too. But I guess they didn't bring you any because they thought you were still asleep."

Roy took the sandwich and carefully split it. He was surprised at his own delicacy; the bag under him was free of splattering mushrooms and melted cheese. He offered the other half to Riza.

"I hope you like Swiss melt." he smiled.

Riza took it from him and bit into the sandwich without any fuss.

"I'm not a picky eater, sir. Although, I'm going to have to enjoy this while I can. I heard hospital food's got a bad rep."

"You bet." Roy ruefully agreed. "I'm not surprised if more patients died from food poisoning than infections. But that's just me exaggerating."

A few minutes after they finished eating, Dr. Knox and Audley dropped in.

"And she's alive!" Dr. Knox jokingly exclaimed. Audley moved forward to eagerly shake hands with Riza.

"Hello, Miss Hawkeye. It's great to see you awake and well. I'm Audley, and along with my father we'll be caring for you while you stay here."

Riza too, seemed impressed by Audley's manners.

"Thank you, and it's a pleasure meeting you too." she said.

"So, Miss Hawkeye." Dr. Knox whipped out a thermometer. "Let's see how you're faring this time." After inserting the thermometer into Riza's mouth, he studied it closely.

"Getting better already, I see." he noted with approval. "Last time we checked, your body temperature was two and a half degrees higher."

Then he brought forth his clipboard and launched into the doctor/coach mode.

"Let's see here...what time did you wake up?"

Riza looked up to Roy.

"Shortly after noon. Around 12:15." he answered for her.

"You tried to move around a little and ease those cramps?"

"Yes, doctor." Riza replied. "But I can't seem to sit up in my bed properly. That's the only real problem."

"Ah. Don't worry about it too much. It's gonna seem really sore and bothersome at first. We'll provide you a wheelchair so you can go to the bathroom and such.  
You won't be safe to move on your own until at least two weeks from now."

Dr. Knox glanced at Riza's bandaged leg.

"Same goes for your ankle too. Don't put it under too much strain, but I encourage you to wiggle it around every now and then. Keep it too still and it'll get stiff and uncomfortable."

"Will do, Dr. Knox." Riza said promptly.

Audley had left the room for a short time. As soon as his father was done with Riza, he brought in a folded up wheelchair and set it within Riza's reach.

"There you go. It'll make your life easier for a little while." Audley said.

Riza smiled up at the two doctors.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"Not a problem, ma'am." Dr. Knox and his son turned to leave. But before they left, Audley said:

"We'll be checking on her once in a while, so you can do us a special favor by monitoring her progress every day."

"Sure! We'd love to." Maria, Grumman and Rebecca beamed. Roy didn't need to say anything to convey his content with the preposition.

* * *

One week

With her fever out and gone, Riza found it much easier to get through the day. Her body no longer ached, and her mind was clear of the zombie-like grogginess. Riza was adapting to the wheelchair fairly quickly, although she found it to be cumbersome at times. Roy often had to help her into it everytime she felt like going to the bathroom. (Which was quite often, all thanks to the IV antibiotic.) Hauling in the wheelchair, the IV monitor and her body took longer than actually doing business.

When she didn't feel like sleeping in her usual bed, Riza would park her wheelchair in front of the open window and doze off. Maria and Rebecca had been much more than helpful. They lent her books from the library for her to read whenever she felt bored. And whenever Riza finished reading, they would run back to the library and get her ones she requested. With each morning, Riza looked forward to a new book. The latest one she received was a duo package of White Fang and Call of the Wild.

"I'd read these to Hayate every chance I would get." Riza explained to Roy. "Dogs need role models too."

Later during the week, Riza started to read aloud to him. Roy found it much better to hear it from her than to read it himself. He never got tired of her storytelling ability and couldn't get enough of her beautiful voice. She made it seem as if White Fang or Buck were alive and real like Black Hayate. He'd smile fondly whenever she described White Fang's first adventures as a pup in the wild. Then he'd feel moved and sorrowful when White Fang gets sold to a cruel owner, only to be raised as a fighting dog.

"Riza, would it be weird if I said that I was horrified...when White Fang finally got beat by that bulldog?"

"Of course not, sir. That's the joy of reading from stories." Riza closed the book and stopped for the day. "You can't enjoy good books unless if you understand and get a feel of its tone."

'Actually, it's more of your voice I'm enjoying.'

Riza noticed his smirk.

"Sir?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Roy said quickly. "Are you going to read again? Please, I want to know what happens next."

"Well, if you insist..." Riza said hesitantly. Looking half convinced at Roy's eager expression, she opened to the bookmarked page and resumed. Once in a while she would catch him eyeing her as if she was something to eat. Or so she thought. Riza tried not to let it bother her as she continued reading to her constant companion.

* * *

Two weeks

Riza grew accustomed to the patience needed for the wheelchair lifestyle. It wasn't until this week that Riza began to push her limits. She felt filthy after having her entire body untouched by the shower for a week. Now, she was determined to suck up the pain and venture in for a bath. Riza looked at the plastic bag in her hand, a loan from Rebecca's own apartment.

"Here, Riza. Your feminine survival kit." Rebecca had said when she visited. "It's got everything you need: razor blade, deoodorant, shampoo, everything. I even packed up some really soft pads in case those darn stitches get real hard on you."

Riza smiled inwardly as she remembered her best friend's neverending generosity. Despite everyone's protests, Riza insisted that she'll take a shower by herself. She really didn't like being fussed over like a little baby.

Riza tested the strength of her limbs first. She set her good foot gingerly onto the floor. Using the wheelchair for support, she ever slowly straightened up to stand. Just as her belly started to flatten, the stitches pulled at her. The best she could manage was a steady crouch. She figured she would try to fully stand up later. Riza limped around the bathroom until she got used to the feeling. She smiled to herself at her improvements. Just yesterday, Audley and Dr. Knox were very impressed by her recovery. They figured that another solid week would be enough for her to get even better.

Riza carefully moved herself into the shower and turned on the water. She bit her lip as freezing cold water splashed over her at first. Then she sighed gratefully when it turned pleasantly warm. Riza held out her broken ankle to avoid the cast getting wet. She washed herself without much trouble, much to her happy surprise. Feeling refreshed and clean, she got back to her wheelchair and wheeled herself back to the recovery room. Roy was near the window, reading Call of the Wild. At the noise of the wheels, he looked up and grinned.

"You came out okay. That's great!"

Roy lifted her from the wheelchair and set her down into the bed.

"How's the pain? Getting better?"

"Yes sir. My sprained wrist doesn't hurt anymore. And my ankle still bothers me, but not as much." Riza said. Roy spread out a towel on top of the pillow for Riza's hair to dry on.

"I'll tell you what I'm tired of: the food." she went on. "The nurses tell me that eating vegetables instead of meat is easier for my digestion. But I have to say that nothing sounds greater than a decent chunk of bread, if not meat."

Roy laughed softly at her joking remark. She must be in a good mood to be saying things like that.

"Don't worry, Riza. I'll tell Grumman to sneak in some when he comes to visit again. But even so, you'll be as fine as a whistle on the third week. You recover awfully fast."

"Third week..." Riza appeared to be lost in thought. "Dr. Knox said I'm going to be tested on the third week...for what?"

Roy was forced to meet her gaze.

"To see if you're...pregnant." he admitted reluctantly.

Riza blinked once. Didn't say anything for a few seconds. Blinked again, then looked down to stare at her hands.

"Oh. I see." she finally said.

Roy's heart sunk a little. He hoped that it didn't kill her good mood. For two weeks now, Riza was so focused on recovering as quickly as possible.  
She was so determined that she was oblivious to why she ended up in the hospital in the first place. Roy felt that it was his fault for making her remember.

Then Riza turned to him with a forced smile.

"It's all right, sir. I haven't been hit with the morning sickness yet. I think I'll be alright."

Roy didn't dare voice his doubts. He returned her optimism with a hopeful smile of his own.

* * *

Three weeks

Three weeks. 21 days. Nearly a month. Almost time for the pregnancy test.  
Roy and Riza anxiously waited for Audley and his father to bring in the ultrasound. Grumman, Maria and Rebecca also waited at the bedside. Riza's fists wrung the bedsheets as time slowly ticked by. Roy shifted his weight from one foot to another. He nearly jumped in his spot when the doors latched open. Dr. Knox propped open the door while Audley wheeled the ultrasound machine inside.

"This will be quick and completely painless. No needles involved." Audley promised.

"First, there are some things we need to ask." said Dr. Knox. "Did you feel any signs of nausea these past three weeks?"

"Not really." Riza said. "The only time I felt vaguely sick was when I had to eat hospital food for the first time."

Dr. Knox smirked. "It's a common thing among meat-eating patients. Now, when was the last time you had your menstrual cycle?"

Riza seemed hesitant to answer. "Not too long ago. Five days back, I think."

"Was it heavy, light, normal?"

"It was nothing unusual." she said. "It barely lasted a week."

Dr. Knox's pen scribbled furiously.

"Any other symptoms? Like abdominal swelling or mood swings?"

"Not that I know of." Riza shook her head. "Other than the obvious wounds, there was nothing else that bothered me."

"Sounds good at the moment. But we'll find out for sure once we get this over with."

Audley turned on the screen, and Dr. Knox held out a long cord with a flattened sensor at the end of it. He lifted Riza's shirt a little and gently set it on her left side.  
Everyone stared intently at the ultrasound screen as if it featured the Super Bowl.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Roy, Riza and company held their breath. Nothing.

Dr. Knox tried her opposite side.

Another second.

Another two seconds.

Another three seconds. Still nothing. The screen remained blank and black as the night sky, save for the pale purple linings that marked the outer rims of Riza's empty, fetus-free stomach.

Dr. Knox broke into a wide grin. "You're all clear!"

Everyone in the room broke out in exulted whoops and cheers. Roy nearly collapsed from the relief. Riza's fists released the bedsheets as she laid back in content.

"You just saved yourself from nine more months of rehab, Miss Hawkeye." Audley beamed. "It'll only be a few more days until you're good to go."

For the rest of the evening, everyone celebrated by bringing back dinner from a local steakhouse. The best thing was that the doctors granted Riza the permission to eat steak with her friends and grandfather.

* * *

On the evening of the next day, Roy held a little meeting with the doctors concerning the rape incident.

"I don't know..." Roy said uncertainly. "Riza's been in such a good mood lately. If we start asking her, she might break."

But then again, he was itching to find out the culprit, the jerk who wasn't even worthy of laying a finger on her. If he got lucky, he might even find the rest of his lackeys, and crush them.

"Do you still want to do this, sir?" Audley's voice cut into Roy's thoughts.

"I...do." Roy said slowly. "I really believe that asking Riza is the only solution to the problem. Maybe we shouldn't ask her so many questions about the events itself, but we really need to know who attacked her."

"Are you certain?" Audley asked again.

"Yes." Roy said again, this time more firmly. "This is the only way justice can be carried out, as much as I'm not too excited about it."

It was time he needed to face the truth and discover whoever that caused so much misery, pain and grief to Riza. Roy drew in a shaky deep breath and made for the doors to Riza's room. The doctors followed suit. Riza was conversing quietly with her grandfather. Upon seeing Roy and the Knoxes, she smiled pleasantly with a questioning stare.

Roy didn't know where to start. Noticing Roy's hesitation, Audley said: "Good evening, Miss Hawkeye. If you don't mind, we would like to have a discussion with you."

Audley sounded friendly enough, but the look in his eyes told Riza it was about something serious. Roy and Dr. Knox wore the same expression.

"Can Rebecca, Maria and my grandfather stay?"

"If they would like." Dr. Knox nodded.

Roy and the doctors took their seats next to the bedside.

"What is this about?" Riza asked.

Audley paused before launching into a cautious explanation: "When you were unconscious a month ago, we gathered evidence and traces from the attack. It was decent enough, but we don't have sufficient information to present it as a case against the perpetrators."

"In short, we don't know enough yet to properly accuse anyone." Dr. Knox added. "But if you would allow us to listen to your eyewitness account, it would help tremendously."

Riza took all of this in as best as she could. In all the weeks of recovering, she didn't have much on her mind besides sleeping, reading, "wheelchairing", and spending time with her friends. It all seemed like one, big surreal dream. Now, with the doctors' request, it was if reality shook her away from that dream and turned her to a hazy nightmare she would much rather forget.

Riza tried her best to keep her face stoic and unwavering.

"Ask away." she said tentatively.

"Was the attacker someone you knew?" Audley asked. "Was he a friend? An acquaintance?"

Riza closed her eyes and struggled to rewind her mind so she could remember. A familiar face flashed in her vision; a face filled with warmth and recognition in the midst of a dark surrounding.

"Yes. He was a friend. From long ago." Riza replied.

"We obtained enough data to conclude that you were confronted by more than one person. Do you remember who they were?"

The friendly face was suddenly surrounded by others until it overwhelmed her entire vision. All the faces were husky and rough like the mugs of bulldogs. Riza's eyes shot open and tried to meet Audley's gaze.

"I can't remember...I couldn't tell how many there were in the dark. All that I saw was that they looked rugged and mean."

"Alright...maybe you can't remember them. It's okay. It doesn't matter." Roy said. "What really matters is the center guy. How did you run into him? Or did he run into you?"

"I was walking down a dark alley with Hayate after I shopped for groceries." It was all coming together now. Pictures flitted through her mind like an old-fashioned movie. "Then I bumped into him along the way. We talked. Everything was fine until..."

The friendly face in her mind suddenly contorted into a grotesque mask of devilish glee. Riza shuddered as cold sweat broke out everywhere on her body.

"He knew..." she choked. "He knew I was going to be there."

Riza squeezed her eyes shut and shrunk in horror as the face grew out disgusting-looking hands that groped, prodded, penetrated...

"Don't talk about what happened." Roy stated gently. His hand automatically moved to touch her arm. "Don't even think about it. Just tell us about the man himself."

"He--" Riza's brain was overwraught with reels and flashes of disturbing images, as if the internal movie was on fast forward. The leering face over her was blurred and out of focus. She tried to remember. She really did. But the more she tried to conjure a familiar picture, the more she got of the dreadful aura that radiated from him like some sort of sickness. "I-I don't remember. I can't." she gasped.

"Please, Riza. You must." Roy gripped her arm tighter. "Please tell us so we can hunt this guy down and give him the punishment he deserves."

She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. Or anyone else's for that matter. She remained paralyzed in her bed, as if her soul wasn't quite attached to her body.

"Riza, what does he look like? Is he tall, short, skinny, stout?" he pressed. "Blond hair, brown hair? Please Riza, any little detail would help."

Dr. Knox knew this wasn't going anywhere. For some reason, Riza refused to relent.

"Sir..." he addressed Roy uncertainly.

"I'll use my flame alchemy. I'll use it to burn him to a hell-burnt crisp. It's okay to tell me, Riza. That guy is no friend. He's a monster!" Roy desperately pleaded.

"I understand!" she cried. Her entire body was trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind. "He did terrible things to me; I'm probably dirty and full of sin from what he's done. I'll never forgive him. But I will not let you use alchemy to satisfy feelings of hatred."

"Riza, listen to me." Roy dogged on. "I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing it for you. I want to cure you of your shame. I can do it if you would tell me who he is!"

Riza kept shaking her head as Roy tried to get to her. Tears spilled freely down her face as she brought both hands to her head. "Please! Please, no! No more violence." she croaked. "I'm sick of seeing it. I've lived it!"

"But--"

"Even if I did remember, what you want to do will never take away my nightmares."

"It won't do any good to let him live, either! Riza, if you would just let me--"

"I didn't go through this shit just to have you destroying what we've worked so hard for! Alchemy is for the people! If you want to violate that, then I have no reason to live."

"Don't you ever say that!" he roared. Everyone in the room except Riza winced at the sudden outburst. She only glared at her lap through tear-filled eyes.

"Sometimes I can't believe how you could be such a martyr. That guy will probably rape other poor women if we don't do something. Riza, you've got to remember!"

He placed both hands on her shoulders and shook her violently. The sinister face with the hands came to life as Riza was forced to look into Roy's livid, raging face. What had been a compassionate, supportive friend transformed into a wrathful demon that resorted to violence to get through her. It was as if her trust for him was thrown up and shattered to a million, scattering pieces. So this was what Roy was all along. She fully remembered now. It was Seth who underwent the same transformation.

In her mind, Roy became Seth. And Seth was Roy.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Riza flinched away from Roy's grip and pushed him away with all her might. She collapsed against the bed dejectedly. Riza clasped a hand over her mouth as she sobbed.

"I trusted you...I trusted you..." she half wailed, half whimpered through her mouth. Maria and Rebecca were instantly at Riza's side. But she shrugged them away too and turned her face into the pillow.

"All of you, leave me. Please. I want to be alone." her voice came out muffled and weary.

"Okay, Riza." Rebecca and Maria replied softly. Everyone shuffled out of the room with ashen faces. For a while no one spoke. Finally, Audley turned to Roy with a look of defeat smitten all over his face.

"Sir, we're truly sorr--"

"It's not your fault." Roy cut him off. He sounded utterly tired and drained. "The blame is mine for trying to jump on her in the first place."

"How could you, Roy?" Rebecca was distraught. "First you put her down for not attending the party, and now you're doing it again because she failed to answer you. I haven't another man that's been so selfish and inconsiderate and..." With her anger spent, Rebecca was also too tired to let it drag on any further. Roy let her words sink in, and didn't do anything to counterattack her.

"You're right, Rebecca. You're right." Roy heaved a miserable sigh. "No apology or excuse could ever replace what I've done to her." He rubbed at his eyes.

"God help me if I'm no better than the rapist himself." he muttered. As the evening got later and darker, everyone eventually went home without saying farewell to him. He remained leaning against the wall adjacent to the window of Riza's room. His feet started to ache, but he couldn't care less. Throbbing feet was nothing compared to a promise he had very nearly broken. Years ago he swore to her that he would use her father's research to make people, and someday the country, happy. But all the alchemical techniques in the world couldn't match up to Riza's endless self-sacrifice. She gave to her friends, her comrades, her country. Most of all, she gave to him. Roy felt like a sore sinner when comparing to her saintlike qualities. All Riza asked from him was to keep his pledge of self-sacrifice. What will she do now, when Roy couldn't even live up to his own promise and that one favor of hers?

Something caught the top of his peripheral vision. He looked up, and saw a clearish, milky liquid pooling at the crack between the door and the floor. Roy wondered what it could be.

Suddenly, with a jolt, Roy realized the IV monitor ceased its usual beeping.

Roy seized the doorknob and twisted. It was locked. His other hand hit out at the door as he twisted and twisted with all his strength. Roy's sixth sense thrummed from the negative vibe; just like in the alley when he followed Hayate. He cursed and jammed a pyrotex glove into his left hand. Roy hastily stepped back and snapped his fingers. The narrow, precise spark of ignited oxygen combusted the door into a dented mess. Ignoring the loud noise that ensued, Roy climbed over the wreck to get inside.

His knees sank into the milky liquid as he screamed. Screamed until his throat hurt. Screamed until he thought his chest would explode. Screamed until doctors and nurses crowded in the hallway in alarm.

His eyes fell upon Riza's slumped form on the wheelchair. The bloodied razor blade in her limp hand. The severed IV line that spewed out antibiotic. The flowing blood that mingled yet contrasted with the liquid like water and oil.

Just that one sight was worse than all his memories of a burning, rotting Ishbal put together.

**Cliffhangers can be cruel, can't they?  
As usual, tell me how ya liiike. :)  
I apologize if I made Roy look like a jerk so quickly, but I really hope that I conveyed the angst effectively. More angst to come, my faithful readers!**


	7. Broken

**Ya mon, 'tis the chapter everyone was dying for! xD**

**I give a wink and a thank you to my most avid reviewers yet: Mournful Wolf, Tsukino Yumiko, Resha Tsubaki, saigon4ever, beautifly92 and zukofan23. ;)**

**Something off-topic yet strangely related: I'm having all kinds of conspiracy theories going on about Roy and Riza's ethnicity. There's no doubt that Roy's got Xingese blood in him, if not fully. The black hair and narrow eyes say it all. :3 If he had glasses, he'd even look like a typical Chinese or Vietnamese guy, lol. As for Riza, it's a little hazy. In some official pics and scans, her eyes are a little reddish instead of the usual brown. Sometimes it's all the way brown, or all the way red, or both. This might sound crazy, but Riza might be kinda sorta part Ishbalan. xD**

**There's no real concrete evidence to back up my crazy theory, so it might go up in smoke. I also _OCCASIONALLY_ feel an urge to ship Scar and Riza. It'd be a very interesting plot...hmm...(evil grin)**

Stumble Through the Dark (7)

Broken

They refused to let him in.

As far as he was concerned, the doctors had good reason to do so. It was he who caused Riza to do such a thing to herself. The doctors had all the right and authority to keep him out of this one.

He saw them wheel her to yet another emergency room through a set of double doors. The smell of iodine and blood hit his nose as Roy attempted to follow. But the doctors were ready. They immediately moved forward to block his way. All Roy had time to see were the operators huddling over the gurney. A white sheet spilled off to one side and almost brushed the tiled floor. Roy thought he caught the sight of a single, blood-flecked arm draping limply underneath the sheet. One of the doctors pressed his palm against Roy's chest and pushed him back further. Roy shoved forward and glared up at him.

"I'm sorry, sir. You must wait." The man's voice was polite but firm.

More waiting. How much more of this could he take before he goes insane?

The man leads Roy back to the waiting area as the doors swung shut behind them. Roy threw a quick and desperate sidelong glance back. But through the narrow rectangular windows, he could only make out the tops of the doctors' surgical caps. The waiting area was now more crowded than the last time he went by it to step outside. To his dismay, it was pouring loud and hard outside the hospital doors. He turned back and scanned the room. All the chairs were occupied, save for a lengthy couch where an old Ishvalan woman huddled at one side. Roy took his place at the opposite side of her. Clumps of old newspaper issues were strewn all over a table in front of the couch. He grabbed one and tried to preoccupy his mind with its content. It was no good; his mind was too whirled with dizziness and disorientation to make out the text. He couldn't bring himself to focus on anything. He slapped the Central Times paper back onto the table and rubbed at his eyes wearily.

He interlocked his fingers and brought them to his forehead. Just like the first night after finding Riza. Here he was again, placing his hopes onto something he once believed didn't exist. But now, for a ridiculously wild moment, he believed there was something. Something far beyond the tangible reasoning of science and ration. Roy couldn't quite understand it. But when he had prayed for the first time, Riza woke up and recovered at a remarkable pace. He had never felt so much hope and happiness surge through him.

'I want to feel that again.' Roy thought. 'God, Ishvala...whatever you are. You probably won't like this, because I had promised that you'd do just one favor from me. Riza is hurt again, but I was the one who caused it to happen. I don't care if you will forgive me or not. My hands are tainted with the lives of the many believers I've killed. I pray that those same hands won't be tainted with the blood of the one I dearly love.'

Roy glanced across at the old woman. She looked humble enough with her homemade crocheted shawl. Clutched in her withered hand was a tattered, faded photograph of a beaming dark-skinned boy. Probably her grandson or nephew. Every once in a while she muttered a prayer in Ishvalan, her wispy white hair swaying as she bobbed her head up and down. Roy wondered tiredly whose prayers will be heard tonight, hers or his.

Roy leaned back and let his head rest on the wall. He wanted so badly to wake up into the recovery room on the day of the pregnancy test and realize this whole thing was a dream. He would give anything to bring back that beautiful, radiating smile on Riza's face. And he would give anything to take away those glazed, lifeless eyes as the blood seeped the color out of her skin. Oh God, he wanted so badly to forget those eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, Roy glanced up at a nearby clock. It was 4 a.m., and still no news of Riza's fate.

Roy lost track of time as he inevitably drifted off to sleep, still clinging onto that feeble hope of waking up from a dreadful nightmare.

* * *

Someone was tapping him on the shoulder. His eyes forced open and he swayed a little.

"Sir, wake up."

As Roy collected himself from the drowsiness; he tried to identify the person hovering over him.

His heart skipped as he recognized the man who had led him out of the operation room. Then Roy's heart sunk when he saw droplets of blood on the paper surgical mask.  
The man unsnapped the mask and let it hang off from one ear. Roy was glad he didn't have to look upon Riza's blood anymore.  
Then the man introduced himself as Dr. Heath and explained that Riza had cut herself deeply and lost a great deal of blood.

'Please let her be okay, please let her be alright...' Roy prayed fervently.

They had to transfuse several units of red cells from the remainder of Armstrong's donation--

'How will I tell Maria and Rebecca?'

Twice, they had to revive her--

'How will I tell Grumman, her grandfather?'

They would have lost her if her heart hadn't been young and strong--

'What will my subordinates think when I tell them I've hurt her?'

Riza is alive.

Dr. Heath smiles. It took Roy a few moments to register everything what he had just said. The doctor said more, but Roy didn't hear him.  
Roy had brought up his hands to his face and wept his relief into them. The doctor said nothing and waited politely. People in the waiting area, including the Ishvalan woman, had their eyes on him.  
But he didn't give a care in the world. It didn't matter. Roy continued to weep with heartbroken joy.

* * *

The intensive care unit was a dim area, a jumble of beeping monitors and whirring machines. Dr. Heath led Roy between two rows of beds seperated by white plastic curtains. Riza's bed was the last one around the corner, the one nearest to the nurse station. On the silent walk down the mazelike hallways, Roy thought he would cry again when he saw Riza. But when he sat on a chair at the foot of her bed, looking at her pained face through the tangle of plastic tubes and IV lines, he was dry-eyed. He watched her chest rise and fall to the rhythm of the hissing ventilator. Watched until his eyes grew bleary and fell into a restless sleep.

When Roy woke up, the sun rose in a creamy, buttermilk sky through the window next to the nurses' station. The light slanted into the room, just like the morning Roy had let the window open to cast the sunlight on Riza's form. But this time the light aimed his shadow toward Riza, casting shade over her body like a gloomy spirit. She still didn't move.

"You'd do well to get some proper sleep at another room."

Roy lifted his head to see a nurse walk in. She was young and round-faced like a child's, possibly a recent graduate from school to work at the hospital for the first time. Just like Audley Knox. But something about her failed to give a good impression on him. The nurse barely cast a glance at Riza, the patient supposedly under her care. She had all eyes on Roy as if he was a piece of valuable jewelry.

"There's another room where you can get a good sleep. It's got blankets and everything." the young nurse insisted. Now there was no mistake in the naive, flirtateous gleam in her eyes.  
This nurse was nowhere close to the likes of Audley. Roy felt a twinge of annoyance, and he stayed rooted to his spot.

"I'm fine where I am, thanks." he replied. His voice was hoarse and sleepy, but he made sure to make his point when he motioned to Riza.

"But I'd rather stay with my Lieutenant. She's also my best friend, you see."

Immature as she was, the nurse was smart enough to catch Roy's distaste. She gave up and left the room in a huff.

Roy came to know that hospital life had a rhythm, the flurry of activity just before the morning shift change, the midday hustle, the stillness  
of the late night hours occasionally interuppted by a blur of doctors rushing to revive someone. When he thought about it, the hospital proved to be very similar to the activities of the military command center.

Roy kept vigil at Riza's bedside in the daytime and meandered through the halls at night. He constantly thought of what to say to Riza when she woke up. He would end up back in the ICU, by the ventilator beside her bed, and he'd be no closer to knowing.

It had been three days of the ICU lifestyle. Now the doctors withdrew the breathing tube and transferred Riza to her former recovery room. Due to the increasing number of patients, they couldn't move her to a new room. So in those three days, the room was intensely swept out and cleaned. As Roy accompanied the doctors that ushered Riza's gurney, he couldn't bring himself to scan the familiar room. The floor was clean now, someone had wiped off the blood, spread new mats under the hospital bed, and propped a new wheelchair at the bedside. Roy tried to avert his gaze to the open bathroom door. But then he remembered the razor blade Rebecca had given to Riza, and his imagination ran wild. He pictured Riza struggling into the wheelchair from her bed, wheeling it to the bathroom. He saw her clutching something in her hand as she wheeled back to the room. Saw her twisting the razor handle and opening the twin safety latches on the head, sliding the blade out, holding it between her thumb and forefinger. Roy pictured Riza lying in her wheelchair for a while, her eyes closed. He wondered what her last thought had been when she had raised the blade and brought it down to her IV-lined wrist.

Since that move, Riza was now under 24/7 suicide watch. A uniformed security guard stood at the window when Roy left to make a call at an outside telephone booth. He thought of calling Grumman, Maria or Rebecca, but he chickened out. It was best to call another close person that was least likely to hate his guts for what he had said to Riza on that fateful night. Roy called for Gracia, Hughes' wife, instead.

The line picked up, and a familiar woman's voice answered.

"Hello? This is the Hughes household."

"Gracia. It's me, Roy Mustang."

Gracia sounded gratefully surprised.

"Oh hey, Roy! What's up?"

Roy paused for a moment, suddenly unsure of what he should say. Then he lifted the receiver back to his mouth and answered tentatively:  
"It's about Riza. She...she had a bad accident, and she lost some blood. I'm calling from the Central hospital, where Riza's staying." Roy cringed at how pathetic his improvised excuse sounded.

"Oh my goodness! Is Riza all right?"

"Um, sort of. She was in ICU for a few days. But would it be all right for--"

"--Me to come? Of course!" Gracia exclaimed. Her voice faded a little from Roy's ear as she addressed someone else.

"Elysia honey, we're going to go see Auntie Riza!"

"Where she at, Mama?" Elysia's little voice asked.

"At the Central hospital. She got a big booboo, but I'm sure she'll feel loads better once she sees you."

"Yay yay yay! I'll bring Auntie Riza a present! It'll make her smile, and smiles make booboos go away!"

Roy listened to the entire conversation with a fond, bittersweet smile. Gracia went back to talking to Roy again.

"I'm sure you've got a lot on your mind, so would it be alright if I invite Winry, Izumi and her husband to come too? They happen to be in town for a week."

"Yes. That would be extremely wonderful." Roy replied gratefully. Gracia was truly like a sister to him. And even more so for Riza.

"Okay then! I'll talk to you later, Roy."

"Bye, Gracia. Thank you again."

Roy hung up the phone and made his way back inside the hospital, feeling slightly less downtrodden. The guard at the door tipped his peaked hat when he saw Roy.  
Before he left the recovery room, he said:

"You're in for a nice surprise. She's awake. Kinda quiet, though."

Riza wore short-sleeved hospital pajamas and was lying on her back. A blanket was pulled up to her stomach, her face turned to the overlooking window. Roy thought she was sleeping, but when he scooted a chair up to her bed, her eyelids fluttered and opened. She looked at Roy, then looked away. She was so pale, even paler than the first time she wound up in the hospital. Even with all the extra blood the doctors had given her, she was as white as a ghost. The deathly pale skin made her normally light blond hair the same golden shade as Edward's. Roy noticed the large purple bruise in the crease of her right arm.

"How are you?" Roy said.

Riza didn't answer. She was looking through the window at a midmorning overview of Central downtown. Families and couples strolled down the sidewalks casually.  
Children strayed from their parents as they chased each other through the empty streets. Riza's eyes followed a rascal of a boy as he narrowly avoided a passing car to tag a friend from behind.

"I spoke to Dr. Heath and the Knoxes a few minutes ago and they think you'll be discharged in a couple of days."

Again he was met by silence. Roy tried not look at Riza's bandaged wrists.

"Gracia's coming over to see you too. That's good news, isn't it Riza?"

Silence. A few more awkward minutes passed, and a light sweat formed about Roy's forehead. He gestured toward an untouched tray of food and unopened bag of disposable silverware.

"You should try to eat something. It'll give your strength back. Do you want me to help you?"

Riza held his glance, then looked away, her face set like stone. Her eyes were still lightless, a dull brown with no trace of the normal red tint. Her pupils were vacant, the way he had found her slumped in the blood-stained wheelchair. Roy reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out the Poems of War and Remembrance copy she had given to him all those months ago. Roy turned the cover so it faced Riza.

"Remember this? You let me skip paperwork so I could read the poems in here. After I read the Charge of the Light Brigade, I wanted to read some more poems you picked out for me."

Roy forced a smile, feeling a bit like an idiot. "Anyway, I think you'll be glad to know that I really liked this one too: Nefarious War, by Li-Po. It was written by a Xingese poet. I can translate it for you. Would you like that?"

Riza closed her eyes. She covered them with her arm, the one with the bruise. Roy flipped to the page filled with scrawling Xingese calligraphy. He cleared his throat and read.

"Oh, nefarious war! I see why arms

Were so seldom used by the benign sovereigns..."

He read her the first half of the poem, up to the part where the Xingese armies, tired and few, still prepared themselves for war. Roy closed the book.

"Do you want me to go on? There are battles coming up. The part with barbarians? Should I read on?"

Riza shook her head slowly. Roy slipped the book back into his pocket.

"That's fine." he said, encouraged that she had responded at all. "Maybe we can continue tomorrow. How do you feel?"

Riza's mouth opened and a hoarse sound came out. Dr. Knox had told Roy it would happen because of the breathing tube they had slid through her throat, thus affecting her vocal cords.  
She licked her lips and tried again.

"Tired."

"I know. It's okay. Dr. Knox said that was to be expected--"

She was shaking her head.

"What is it, Riza?"

She winced when she spoke again in a husky voice, barely above a whisper. "Tired of everything."

"What can I do, Riza? Please tell me."

"I want--" she began. She winced again and brought her hand to her throat as if to clear whatever was blocking her voice. Roy's eyes were drawn to her wrist wrapped tightly with gauze bandages.  
"I want my old life back." she breathed.

Roy thought his heart would break in two.

"Oh, Riza."

"I want my father before he got possessed by alchemy research. I want my mother who used to hold me and sing to me whenever I got scared. I want the parents of my childhood. I want the life before alchemy and violence." She dragged her forearm across her eyes. "I want my old life back."

Roy was speechless. He didn't know what to say, where to look, so he gazed down at his hands.

'Your old life.' he thought. 'My old life too. I wasn't there with you when your parents were happy. I didn't have parents to begin with. But I had Hughes. I had those dreams of using alchemy wisely. My old life is gone too, Riza. Hughes, my best friend, is dead. The alchemy that was intended to bring happiness brought murder and slaughter. There's not much left. It's just you and me now, Riza. Just you and me.'

"I can't give you that." Roy said.

"I wish you hadn't--" Riza began.

"Please don't say that."

"--wish you hadn't...I wish you had left me in the wheelchair."

"Don't ever say that, Riza." Roy said, leaning forward. "I can't bear to hear you talk like that." He touched her shoulder and she flinched. Flinched, then drew away. Roy dropped his hand.

"Riza, I can't give your old life back. Nor could I bring back mine. I wish to God I could. I am so very profoundly sorry." His throat clenched with emotion. "I ask you for your forgiveness. Can you do that? Can you forgive me? Believe me?"

Riza rolled to her side, her back to him. She didn't say anything for a long time. Just as Roy thought she might have drifted to sleep, she said with a hoarse rasp, "I am so very tired."

Roy sat by the bed until Riza fell asleep. He felt utterly dejected, the same way he had felt when he was only a Major in the Ishval war. Only twenty three years old, and got his first taste in mass murder.

Something was lost between him and his Lieutenant. And he wasn't sure when he'll ever have the power to get it back.

**Angsty, yes? I kind of choked up when I desribed Riza's depressed behavior. If this chapter was made into an anime episode, I swear I'll be crying buckets.**


	8. Reaching Out

Stumble Through the Dark (8)  
Reaching Out

Roy woke up to another beautiful morning. He looked over at Riza. The charm and soft colors of the tranquil sky were lost upon her. She didn't even look up to acknowledge the sunlight. Her eyes were hooded and bruised; she didn't appear to sleep at all last night. When Roy yawned and stretched a little, her eyes darted at him for a quick second before staring down at her lap.

"Riza, I'll only be away for a little while." Roy promised softly. "I'm going to work and have the other subordinates come to visit you. Would that be okay?"

Riza didn't respond. Her eyes were glued to her lap, her fingers toyed with the hem of the blanket. Roy bit back a dispirited sigh and rose to leave. The security guard saw Roy opening the door. They greeted each other quickly and the guard stepped in the room to take Roy's place.

Roy speedwalked his way to Central headquarters. He entered his office, and the men stood swiftly to attention.

"Welcome back, sir!"

Then their smiles faltered when they noticed Roy's gloomy face.

"What's the matter?" Havoc asked. "How come we didn't see you after the party? And where's Hawkeye?"

Roy eyed them seriously.

"Will you do your best to listen to me as seriously as you can? Will I be able to trust you?"

Havoc, Breda, Falman and Fuery's light spirited faces shifted upon hearing Roy's tone.

"You can count us, sir." Fuery spoke for them.

Roy took in a deep breath and confessed everything. The pre-party argument, the rape, the operation, the recovery at the hospital...Roy left nothing out. When he was done, his men were speechless with shock and horror.

"Now, I will need to ask you another favor." Roy said wearily. "Will you come with me to visit her?"

Havoc's eyes softened with compassion. "Of course, sir. Hawkeye's like a sister to all of us. The least we can do is to pay her a visit. She could use some cheering up."

"Does Lieutenant Ross and Catalina know? About her suicidal attempt, I mean." Fuery asked. He was mentioning Maria and Rebecca.

"No, I couldn't bring myself to tell them." Roy admitted, feeling rather cowardly. "But I called Gracia, and she's coming over with Winry, Izumi and Sig."

"Well, what are waiting for?" Breda piped up. "We were just done with our papers. Now's a great time to come over."

Roy was a little startled. He didn't expect them to be done with work so quickly.

"Roy! You've come back!"

Major Armstrong poked his huge head through the door.

"How's little Hawkeye? Is she flourishing from my donated blood?" Underneath the lightly joking facade, Armstrong's eyes were filled with concern.

Roy shifted his weight uncomfortably and narrowed his lips into a tight line, as if thinking how to recite a difficult answer.

"I heard what you told your subordinates." Armstrong's furrowed deeply into his forehead. "I never thought Hawkeye would take such a rash action. It breaks my heart to think of all the misery she's putting up with."

Armstrong eyed Roy resolutely.

"I'll go with you to visit her. Don't worry about Grumman and Rebecca; their unit's busy with some mission to the east. Even though Lieutenant Ross is under my unit, I won't tell her. Unless you suggest otherwise..."

"No no, it's all right." Roy let out a shaky, apprehensive sigh. "I just don't know what to tell them. They're pretty mad at me for yelling at Hawkeye in the first place. Especially Rebecca. If I tell them how she's doing now..."

"You're right. It might be a good idea to not inform them of it." Armstrong agreed. "Perhaps we'll explain to them at the right time."

The men left the office and walked together as a group on their way to the hospital. Armstrong brought with him a clipboard padded with many sheets of paper. He was scribbling ferociously on the front page with a bunch of sketching pencils. Roy tried to peer over, but Armstrong's tall stature and beefy arm prevented him from seeing much. He made to open his mouth and ask, but the sight of Armstrong's squint of concentration held his tongue.

Roy led the way once they arrived at the hospital's doors. He was pretty used to finding his way through its labyrinth layout. They stopped at the nurses' station, where visitors had to check in. Roy recognized the young nurse from behind the desk. She seemed to be the only occupant, and a rather inattentive one at that. The nurse was leaning in her chair, leafing through a chunky fashion magazine that was chock full of posing divas and the latest trends. All the men clustered at the counter's edge, but she didn't appear to notice. Even Armstrong's overcasting shadow failed to catch her attention.

Roy had to step forward and rap the counter with a fountain pen in order for the nurse look up. She looked quite flustered as she hastily stowed away the magazine and clumsily apologized under her breath.

"Er yes, how may I help you?" She flushed red as she recognized Roy.

"My men would like to visit Lt. Colonel Riza Hawkeye. Her record sheet should be out of the ICU file, I believe."

The nurse gawked at the men behind Roy. They waited patiently and avoided the nurse's curious stare. She blinked twice before finally speaking:

"A-are all of them visiting at once?"

She stared at them for a few more seconds, then she dug through a drawer in search for the record sheet.

"What do they see in that Hawkeye lady?" the nurse mumbled sulkily. "She cut herself, so what? Now she's got all these military guys coming at her door. That's way more guys than I could ever hook up with! They could at least take pity on a poor, pretty, hardworking nurse like myself..."

Finally, she pulled out Hawkeye's visitor record sheet and slapped it on the counter.

"Sign in your name and the time you checked in." she said shortly.

Havoc felt rather sorry yet amused at the nurse. He figured he could lighten her up a little.

"Thank you for your cooperation." he grinned.

Unfortunately, the nurse was drowning in her own sulking by going back to reading her magazine. Havoc glanced at Roy, who simply shrugged.

As soon as everyone was done signing, Roy led the way again, this time to Riza's designated floor. Roy saw Audley having a conversation with the security guard outside of the door. When the soldiers approached closer, the two of them turned and looked shocked for a moment.

"Look at what we have here! It's a whole battalion of visitors!" Audley exclaimed. "Are you all here to see Miss Hawkeye?"

"Indeed, we are. And you must be Dr. Knox's son." Armstrong quickly shook hands with the young doctor. "Speaking of your father, where is he?"

"He's in the middle of a surgical operation. I heard some poor fellow skinned his arm to the bone from a butcher knife accident. Meanwhile, I came over to Miss Hawkeye's to check on her progress. It's okay for all of you to come in." The security guard opened the door to allow the men to go inside. Roy made to follow his subordinates and Armstrong, but at Audley's beckoning gesture, he went over to him.

"I came over to her room shortly after you left for the command center." Audley talked into Roy's ear in a soft, low voice. "She had showered and moved about the room just fine. I had ordered the nurses to give her breakfast and take away the wheelchair. There aren't signs of limping anymore; you couldn't even tell she had stitches between her legs."

Then Audley's eyes darkened with a serious, almost sorrowful worry.

"Her body may be in substantial physical shape, but it's her psychological and mental stability that greatly disturbs me. I had to coax her several times for her to eat, and she hardly responded to any of my questions."

"It's all my fault, isn't it?." Roy said miserably. "You saw how much of a jerk I was to her that night."

"Well, to be honest with you sir, you did partly stimulate her depression." Audley said carefully. "Miss Hawkeye isn't able to function well because you've forcefully invoked those memories of the attack into her brain. True, you weren't the one to corner her in the alley and rape her. But it'd be safe to say that you were the indirect cause to her trauma."

Roy stared down at the white tile floor. "Tell me Audley, is there a way for me to make it up with her?"

The young doctor tilted his head a little. "I'm no psychiatrist, so I'm afraid I don't have a very thorough explanation for you. But this is coming from the bottom of my heart: you do what you think is right for her. I take it that you know her well enough to recognize her weaknesses?"

Roy shook his head in shame. "To tell you the truth, I really don't know. When I think about it, I don't see every facet of her life. She has always been strong, capable and independent whenever I'm around her. More often than so, I find myself depending on her support. I admire, almost envy, her undying devotion, self-sacrifice and loyalty. But when I see her like this...I-I don't know what to do. I know almost nothing of her personal life, and I already screwed up when I thought I could solve her problems. Nothing I'll say would help her. It's as if...I don't know my Lieutenant at all."

Havoc, Fuery, Breda, Falman and Armstrong filtered into Riza's room. The first thing they saw was her gaunt, slumped form as Riza slowly sat up in her bed. Her head didn't snap up attentively, nor did her eyes flash to steadily meet their gaze as she had always done. Instead, she merely raised her head and peered past her messy bangs. They were all taken aback by the dull, gloomy stare that greeted them. It was as if someone had reached into her soul and ripped its light out of her eye sockets. She didn't even lift her arm to salute and greet her visitors.

'This can't be the Lieutenant I used to know.' Havoc thought sadly. 'I didn't know it could get to be this bad.'

He noticed her unfinished breakfast tray. The croissant was only halfway done, and the orange juice remained full to the glass's brim.

"Erm, good morning Lieutenant." Havoc gave a little salute. "We thought we could come over and see how you're doing."

Riza continued to stare at them as if she didn't know Havoc existed.

"I like your room." Fuery lightly said. "It looks nice, and you've got a beautiful view." The young man's smile faltered when his attempt to change the subject failed to trigger a reaction. Riza's silence was disturbingly unsettling. Breda and Falman exchanged an uncertain glance.

Then Armstrong stepped forward to move closer to Riza's bedside. At this, she flinched and balled the bedsheets into her fists.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I didn't mean to startle you." Armstrong said softly. From his clipboard he pulled forth the sheet of paper that he had worked on earlier.

"Here you go, Lieutenant. It's a get-well gift from me to you."

It was a beautifully constructed rendering of Black Hayate standing majestically over a mountainous landscape. Depictions of Buck and White Fang from the books flanked Hayate's sides. The poses of the dogs were natural and believable, and the landscape held the illusion of looking realistic. All in all, the picture was a last-minute yet breathtaking masterpiece that could only be achieved through Armstrong's artistic skills.

Riza scanned the drawing for a long time. Finally, she reached out a hand and feebly accepted it.

"Thank you, Major." she mumbled. Her eyes did not meet his as she thanked him, and one of her hands did not loosen its grip on the blanket. A tense, crackling edginess seemed to seize her entire body as Riza avoided looking up at Armstrong. There was no mistake in her body language. She seemed to be _afraid_ of the big Major. Breda scratched at the back of his head. "We're sorry that we didn't bring any gifts like the Major did." he said awkwardly. "It was so sudden when Mustang invited us to come..."

Riza shook her head. "S'okay." she murmured.

Havoc leaned in to whisper into Breda's ear: "I think she doesn't want any of us in the room."

It turned out he was right; not only did she avoid eye contact from Armstrong, but she did the same for the other men as well. She was staring at their boots instead. Her face was drawn in uncomfortably tight, as if nauseated.

"Uh, just let us know if you need anything." Falman suggested. "We'll be right there for you."

Riza didn't respond to her coworker's support. Her eyes darted up to his face before keeping them down to his boots. The men began to leave the room with great sorrow and pity settling into their hearts.

They couldn't help but reflect back on the day when Riza gave Roy a gentle nudge into the right path to becoming a leader.

_Many years ago upon the formation of Roy's unit, all four men were newly recruited and Riza, with her cropped hair barely past the nape of her neck, was promoted as Roy's personal assistant. Each was handpicked for their talents and status as distinguished cream of the crop. All five subordinates lined up side to side as Roy faced the Fuhrer King Bradley in the presidential office. It was the custom for the Fuhrer to recognize and commemorate a new military unit, especially a formidable team such as Roy's._

_As soon as the little ceremony was done, they were led to their new working office. Sitting at Roy's recently established office was a neat stack of paperwork that awaited his signature._

_"What else is there to expect?" Roy grumbled. He turned to his new recruits. "As my first superior command, can you do me a favor by helping me with the signing?"_

_Havoc blinked. "Uh...sure, Chief."_

_Fuery adjusted his glasses nervously. His eyes darted to and fro. "Y-you want us to _forge_ your signature, sir?"_

_Roy shrugged dismissively. "I don't have much of a signature. A couple of scrawls that look vaguely like an R and an M would do." He took the stack and gave away portions of it to his men. They sat down and hesitantly began signing away. Riza accepted her part of the paperwork without objection. But unlike her coworkers, she did not join them at the table. Instead, she moved up to Roy's desk and leaned forward so she could be level with Roy's face. The Colonel did not look up from his task as he routinely signed and flipped papers._

_"What is it, Lieutenant?"_

_"Are you a weakling, sir?"_

_Riza's blunt question completely took him off guard. His head snapped up to shoot back an indignant face._

_"What kind of a question is that? Are you going to display insubordination so soon in your military career?" he hissed furiously. Like Riza, he kept his voice low so the others wouldn't overhear. His ears burned when he saw them still tilting in their chairs to eavesdrop._

_Riza didn't do so much as flinch._

_"I didn't mean it as an insult, sir. But I couldn't notice and point out a character flaw of yours."_

_"And what, may I ask, might that 'weak' flaw be?"_

_"In the Fuhrer's office, you looked away from Bradley when he congratulated you."_

_Roy sighed. "It's not just any habit. My adopted mother raised me with old-fashioned Xingese customs. In Eastern society, it's disrespectful to keep direct eye contact with your superiors and elders.  
That's why we're so crazy about bowing and keeping our heads low. What they want is a sign of obedience and respect. They hate to see rebellion or insubordination, like what you're doing right now. "_

_Riza's steady gaze still didn't waver._

_"That may be true, sir. But this is Amestris, not Xing. Here, the common courtesy is to meet a person's eyes when talking to him or her. What might be a sign of respect in Xing is seen as a sign of submission in Amestrian eyes.  
Looking away could also be viewed as insincerity. You might have seen it in children whenever they lie."_

_"Where are you going with this, Lieutenant?"_

_"As an Amestrian officer rising quickly through the ranks, it's important to uphold honor and confidence to your reputation. The first way to achieve this is to look squarely at the people you talk with.  
Whether you meant to convey respect or not, to the Fuhrer's eyes you give the message that you're weak and not too sure of yourself."_

_Riza set the paperwork off to the side._

_"As a matter of fact, some think the light in your eyes is the ultimate proof of your bravery and mental strength. Suppose you become this leader of this country, and you had to give the people a big speech. How will they be able to trust your words if you look away?"_

_Then she flashed a rare ghost of an amused grin._

_"You're born with dark, brain drilling eyes that can easily send the enemy running. It's time that you put them to another good use by showing the world just how badly you want to achieve your goal."_

_Roy had listened to Riza's insight with fascination. He definitely learned something new, and was surprisingly grateful for her suggestions. He fully met her eyes and smiled back._

_"Thank you, Lieutenant. I never thought that eye contact could be so important. I'll be sure to keep your advice in mind."_

_Riza nodded in acknowledgement and finally joined her coworkers to finish her part of the work. The subordinates, who undeniably heard the entire conversation, glanced at Riza with newfound admiration._

Roy looked away from Audley when the door to Riza's room latched open. The men came out with slightly glum expressions on their faces.

"How did it go...?" Roy inquired.

Havoc shook his head. "I dunno, Chief. Hawkeye...just isn't being herself."

"She wouldn't look at us when we talked to her." Breda said.

Armstrong gave a gusty sigh. "I offered my drawing to her, and she didn't smile when she took it. She acted as if she was scared of us."

"Poor Riza." Roy breathed. He didn't care if his subordinates noticed that he failed to address her rank name. "She's really taking this hard."

"Unca Roooy!"

Everyone turned, startled by the piercing shriek. Little Elysia tumbled down the hallway and hurtled herself into Roy's shins. The impact made him sway in his spot. Roy blinked in surprise and reached down to pat Elysia's head.

"Hey kiddo. How's your mum? Where is she, anyway?"

Elysia unglued her face from his pant leg and pointed a pudgy arm at the direction from which she popped up from.

"Mama's aaaall the way back, about thiiiiiis much feet." Elysia spread her arms as wide as she could to indicate the distance. "I run super fast, Daddy always said I was the fastest kid in town. Mama brought Winry and Ms. Izumi and Mr. Sig and Ed and Al too!"

"The Elric brothers are here?" Roy exclaimed in astonishment.

Elysia bobbed her head furiously, her pigtails flying.

"Elysia! You shouldn't have run so far ahead! What have I told you about always staying with a grown up?"

Gracia panted down the hallway as she rounded a corner. She scooped up her daughter into her arms. Elysia pointed at Roy's subordinates and Armstrong.

"Look, Mama! So many people are visiting Auntie Riza too!"

Gracia chided her gently. "Hush, Elysia. You mustn't shout in the hospital because some patients are trying to sleep. "And it's rude to point."

"Hi Gracia, it's good to see you." Roy said.

Then out of the corner of his eye was a sight impossible to miss.

The gargantuan forms of Sig Curtis and Alphonse appeared at the hallway, with Winry, Izumi and Edward flanking them. As they met up with the others, the group almost took up the entire hallway.

"Miss Riza's in here, isn't she?" Winry glanced at the recovery room. "How is she doing?"

Armstrong looked uncertain. "To tell you the truth, Lt. Colonel Hawkeye hasn't quite been her usual self during her stay at the hospital. Your presence might...hopefully loosen her up."

"What's the matter, Mustang? You haven't been riling up the poor Lieutenant and giving her a hard time, haven't you?" Edward jibed.

"Spare me of your bothersome remarks, Fullmetal." Roy growled.

Something about the Flame Alchemist's tone prevented Ed from throwing back a stinging retort. Roy's threat was feeble and held little menace behind it. His eyes were creased with weariness and stress. It was as if Roy was too tired to play along with the banters and arguments they always had.

"Um, Marshal Mustang? About that night of the party..." Alphonse said. "Does it have any connection to why the Lieutenant's at the hospital now?"

"Oh yeah...I thought I saw you follow Black Hayate out the door? Care to tell us what exactly happened?" Edward inquired.

Normally, Roy would refuse to relate such private and mature matters to kids their age. But then again, the Elric brothers were no ordinary children. Roy was sure that they were quite capable and responsible to be involved in adult matters.

So he reluctantly filled them in on the details of the rape incident.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Gracia." Roy said regretfully. "I couldn't-"

"No, I understand." she replied sympathetically. "Those kinds of things are really hard to talk about among other people."

"It's even harder for poor Riza." Izumi said. "Do you think it'd be okay with her if we come in?"

"Well, she was kind of uncomfortable when we visited." Havoc replied. "But I think you might have a better shot in talking with her."

Elysia squirmed excitedly in Gracia's arms.

"Mama, I wanna give Auntie Riza her present now. Do you still have it in your bag?"

"Of course, honey. Roy, are you going to come in with us?"

Roy shook his head. "No, I think it's best not to. I'm probably the last person she'd ever want to see." he cracked a sad smile.

Riza exhaled a dejected sigh and laid a forearm across her eyes. As soon as the men left, her clammy, sweaty hand shakily released the bedsheets. She held Armstrong's gift to her eyes and felt awfully guilty. She now owed him double, once for the blood donation, and twice for his thoughtful and generous drawing. Tears sprang unwillingly at the corner of her eyes. When all the men had clustered around her bedside, her mind constantly flashed vivid images of Seth's gang and the black, choking walls that closed in on her peripheral vision. She was afraid of looking up, afraid of the possibility of seeing those cruel, leering faces as they mercilessly thrusted into her.

Riza's body shook from the effort of containing her sobs.

'I couldn't look at them. I couldn't look up to see how much they cared about me. They probably finished all their work and skipped breakfast just to come over and see how I was doing. All I could do was take the Major's gift and stare at their shoes. What kind of a friend am I? I don't deserve their attention. I'm so helpless and selfish.'

Riza lifted the blanket to wipe away at the tears that spilled down her cheeks. She lifted her head when she heard the door open.

Ed and Al poked their heads in and waved.

"Hi Lieutenant. You don't mind if we come in, do you?"

Riza felt a twinge of mixed guilt and relief.

'What am I getting so tense about? Edward and Alphonse are just nice kids; they wouldn't harm a fly.'

"No, of course I don't mind." she managed to reply weakly.

Ed and Al stepped in to allow the others behind them to follow through.

Riza's heart lifted in warmth as she took in the familiar faces of Winry, Izumi, Gracia and Elysia, who waved her chubby arm at Riza and beamed. Sig was the last to enter, and her breath hitched in her throat as she looked upon his intimidating bulk. Riza once again felt the tense, nauseating grip on her stomach and broke out into a cold sweat. She shut her eyes and tried to wash out the uncomfortable feeling.

"Is something wrong, Lieutenant? Am I making you nervous?" Sig's gentle, low voice rumbled in concern.

Riza had to force in a deep breath and bring oxygen into her dizzying brain. She dared to look right into Sig's bearded face. Her heart melted when all she saw was kindness and compassion underneath the gruff facial features: the face of a true gentle giant.

'Sig Curtis has to be one of the nicest guys I've ever met. There's no way he would remind me of Seth or his gang.'

"No, please don't leave." she pleaded. "I was only feeling a little nauseated, that's all."

Everyone huddled around Riza's bedside, with the women closest to the handrails. Izumi wrapped a gentle arm around Riza's shoulders, a rare action considering her anti-sentimental personality.

"My husband and I wanted to come check on you before we leave for Dublith." she said softly. "You're not straining yourself too harshly, aren't you? Make sure you listen to the doctors, eat well and get some good sleep. I remember when I lost my child, I was too depressed to bring myself to carry on. But it really does help you ease your pain and stress in the long run."

"Thanks Izumi. I'll try my best."

Then Gracia placed a hand over Riza's and squeezed it gently.

"Roy told us everything about what had happened to you."

At the mention of Roy, Riza's heart clenched and she stared out through the window silently.

"I've never seen him look so distraught. The last time I saw his face like that was during my husband's funeral." Gracia gently went on. "I can see it in his eyes, the way he looked down at the floor when he told us. He looked as if he was guilty about murdering someone."

"This is the first time I've seen Mustang look so down." Edward said. "I gotta admit that I understood how he felt. I remembered feeling so awful about how many times I've worried Winry with my burdens. Breaking my automail, getting in danger and all."

Winry nudged Ed in the ribs. Then she said to Riza: "He said that he would even let go of his dream to become Fuhrer so he could see you smile again. We can all see it in him, just as I can see it in Ed whenever he shows concern for me. Mustang really cares about you, Miss Riza. He _loves_ you."

Riza was now visibly trembling, her eyes still fixed to the window. The sunlight glinted off of the tears that pooled at the bottom of her eyes. No one said anything for a while.

Then Elysia's little hand tugged at Riza's sleeve.

"Don't cry, Auntie Riza. I have a present that can make you happy."

Elysia fished out a clumsily wrapped object from Gracia's purse.

"I wrapped it up myself!" she declared proudly.

Riza turned away from the window and she watched Elysia trying to unwrap the gift. The little girl's tongue stuck out to one side as her fingers pawed away at the tangle of ribbons and paper. She finally held out the object to Riza in triumph.

"Ta-da! Don't you love it, Auntie Riza?"

Elysia's gift of choice was a quaint wooden toy gun. Whoever made it did a great job carving out the details, from the gun's nozzle to the handle's bulk. But for all its intricacy, the gun was kid-sized, barely bigger than Riza's palm. The room for the trigger was only big enough for her pinky finger. The most the hole could fit in are probably small pebbles and little knick knacks. Riza wasn't even sure if the gun had capability to fire anything at all. Nevertheless, she overlapped her fingers over Elysia's as she took the gift. For the first time in days, she cracked a sweet smile.

"Why thank you, Elysia! How did you know I liked guns?"

Elysia swelled up with pride at Riza's reaction to the gift.

"Daddy told me lotsa things about you. He said that you hated flowers and skirts and dresses, but you like guns a whole lot because they were useful and not girly."

The little girl crossed her arms as if she was a stern teacher.

"Make sure you get better so you can shoot bad guys and protect Uncle Roy, okay?"

Riza was heartfelt and touched by Elysia's innocent yet sensible command. That was the great thing about kids: they were so pure and simple, even if they didn't know much about the real world. What Elysia said made Riza feel much better. She would thank the little girl a thousand times over if she could. And she was sure that she would treasure the gift forever. Everyone else seemed to be touched by Elysia too.

"She's right, you know. My husband's no better than Roy; he hates to admit it, but he would do anything to protect me." Izumi playfully hit Sig's arm, who blushed sheepishly.

Riza looked at everyone appreciatively.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm blessed to have such great friends when I'm in need. I truly don't know what I'll do without you."

Winry patted Riza's arm affectionately. "Not a problem, Miss Riza. We can't bear to see you look so gloomy."

"Give us a shout if Mustang steps out of line so I can beat him up for you." Edward winked.

"I don't think there will be a need for that. But I hope you get well soon, Lieutenant." Alphonse dipped in a courteous bow.

Riza lifted her arm to wave goodbye to the visitors as they left. Gracia turned around before disappearing behind the door.

"Please take care, Riza. Stay strong for us." Then she whispered into Elysia's ear: "Don't forget to say bye-bye."

Elysia grinned until the corners of her mouth almost reached her ears.

"I hope your booboos go away real fast, Auntie Riza. Bye-byyyeeee!"

Roy watched as the second group of visitors filtered back into the hallway.

"How is she...?" he asked anxiously. "Was she okay with you visiting her?"

Ed peered through the curtains that partially shielded the room. He grinned and gestured with a pointing thumb.

"Come and see for yourself, Mustang."

Roy's eyes followed the direction of Ed's finger and looked into the exposed glass. He saw Riza staring down at a small wooden thing in her hands. She turned it over and around with her fingers.

But it was her face that caught his attention. The corners of her mouth curled up into a smile; hardly there, but there. Roy blinked and the smile was gone as she rolled over to her side to sleep. But it had been there. Roy had seen it with his very own eyes.

It was only a smile, nothing more. It was a tiny thing, a leaf in the woods, a ripple amid a vast ocean. Nevertheless, his heart lifted at the seemingly insignificant sign. Riza's depression had gripped her like a stark, cold winter. But with the winter always comes the spring, and perhaps Roy just witnessed the first flake of snow melting.


	9. Zeroing In

**I recently won a giant black millipede in a biology specimen raffle ticket event...and I was like: "-__-...Whoop di doooo," lol. I'm just glad I wasn't the one kid that took home a Madagascar hissing cockroach. If you have the time, message me a suggestion for the millipede's name. He's been my accompanying buddy as I've been working on my fanfics. (I type with one hand, and he's crawling all over the other...:P) The least he deserves for his...collaborative efforts...is an awesome name. :D**

Stumble Through the Dark (9)

Zeroing In

It would be erroneous to say that post-assault Riza was quiet. Quiet is peace and tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Quiet was how Riza always used to carry herself; she never found the need to aggressively express her thoughts and actions.

But silence was pushing the off button and shutting it down. All of it.

Riza's self-imposed silence still existed after the visit from all her friends. She wasn't quite as depressed from a few days ago, but she wasn't completely restored to her old self either. Whatever she was feeling, or suffering, Riza wasn't keen on spilling it out to everyone she talked to. She only had a few days left at the hospital before she could be properly discharged and go home safely. Roy would've loved to keep her company for those last days, but he's been away from work for too long. Central Headquarters called him, and they requested that he should get back on active duty as soon as possible.

"I've made arrangements with Gracia." Roy had said to Riza before he left for work. "She promises to come over with her daughter and visit you as often as she can. Maria, Rebecca and Grumman are also back from out of town. They'll be visiting you too. Would you be okay with that?"

Riza had nodded silently, and didn't look like she had a problem with the plan at all. Judging from the way she held tight to Elysia's gift, she might as well liked Roy's arrangements.

As soon as Roy arrived to work, the usual stack of paperwork greeted him at his office. But Roy had far more plans than merely paper signing. He had thought long and hard along the way to headquarters. It was risky, it was dangerous, and possibly suicidal. But Roy wanted to try and track down the rapist on his own. He figured that if he tried to collaborate with anyone else, they would either back out or strongly disagree. But like Audley had said, he needed some pretty strong evidence before he could zero in on a believable suspect. Whether it's proving a scientific theory or exposing a criminal...what better way is there than to start with research?

Roy headed out to the Central library as soon as lunch break began. He stood amid vast rows of books and towering shelves, thinking to himself.

'Where to start...where to start...Obviously there aren't books titled "The Complete Encyclopedia of Rapists." It's got to be among more discreet titles that'll have a little information on it...'

Roy decided to give the historical reference aisle a shot. He scanned every cover, searching for a good book. Finally, he discovered the most promising one: "An In-Depth History to Serial Killers and Their Motives."

Riza's attacker may not have been a real serial killer, but the book was probably chock full of grisly crimes that included rape, or worse. Roy sat at an empty table and began leafing through the book. He noted the page of Barry the Chopper with interest before he flipped for more pages. Then he discovered a tabbed section on a few serial killers who have committed rape in their "careers." Roy analyzed each and every page, looking for a conclusion. After finishing every page of the section, Roy stopped reading and leaned back in his seat thoughtfully.

'Maria had said that almost ninety percent of victims said that their attackers weren't strangers...She's right. All of the serial killers' rape victims were either daughters, aunts, girlfriends, even sons.' Roy shook his head in disgust at the last thought. 'Most victims had been sexually abused at some point before their rape. So the rapists themselves ranged from fathers, relatives, acquaintances or boyfriends...'

Roy laid out a mental checklist. 'Relatives, huh? Riza had said that she didn't have a lot of family members. But Berthold Hawkeye and Lt. General Grumman are definitely out of the picture; Riza's father died a long time ago, and Grumman had been at the bar the night Riza was attacked. That rules out my subordinates and other officers as well. They too were at the party with Grumman.'

Suddenly, Roy was reminded of the day he argued with Riza at her porch. When he mentioned the possibility of a broken relationship, Riza had froze speechless in her place. It sounded impossible and unthinkable, but perhaps she did have a boyfriend. Or used to, anyway. Just how much more secrets was Riza keeping behind his back...?

"Wow sir, you're actually reading something intellectual."

A young, high-pitched voice made Roy whirl around in his seat. A bespectacled, brunette girl in her late teens jumped in her place as Roy turned. She almost dropped her huge stack of books as she quickly apologized.

"I-I'm so s-sorry sir! I didn't mean it that way, and I didn't mean to startle you!"

Roy blinked in surprise. "Is that you, Sheska?"

Sheska peeked out timidly from the stack. "Th-that would be me, sir. Sorry for bothering you; I'll be on my way now."

Roy wondered why Sheska was working at the library again. No, she still wore a military uniform. The only reason why she kept her job was because of her amazing photographic memory.

'Wait a second...' Roy was struck with a great realization.

"Hey Sheska! Please don't leave. I'd actually like to talk with you."

Sheska spun around and quickly scuttled back to the table. "You do? Whatever for, sir?"

"Is it true that your memory is like a database like everyone says? That you can remember everything you've seen or heard?"

"That is true, sir." Sheska nodded. Roy beckoned at her to lean closer. He whispered in a hushed voice:

"Did Riza Hawkeye ever have a boyfriend?"

Sheska searched his face. There was no sign of comical jealousy or teasing in his expression. He was being perfectly serious.

"To tell you the truth sir, I've only seen him once." she whispered. "I think it was her boyfriend I saw, because they were holding hands. I didn't approach them because both of them looked so intimidating..."

"Do you know his name?"

"I'm sorry sir, I don't. But I remember clearly of what he looks like. He's big and tall...really burly and muscular, but lean too. He wasn't chubby at all; he looked like a real street fighter."

Roy nodded slowly as he listened to this and tried to picture the guy.

"Maybe we can find pictures of him in newspapers." Roy suggested. "Let's go to the editorial section."

Luckily, Central library held a collection of old newspaper issues from various regions. Roy flipped through the Central Times papers and glanced at headline pictures. Not a single one bore Sheska's description.

"Sir! I've got it!" Sheska fished out some papers from a different folder.

"How did you find it?" Roy eagerly went over to her. It was a slim, scraggly paper from Resembool which held the headline: "Seth Rhodes Made Sixth Time Regional Wrestling Champion."

Sheska pointed to the picture below. "There he is. It's exactly how I remembered him."

The man brandishing the champion belt was true to Sheska's description. He certainly didn't look someone you'd want to mess with. Now Roy knew him by face and name. At long last.

"Seth Rhodes..." He recited the name. "But why was he in a rural newspaper?"

Sheska quickly scanned the article. "Apparently, he was born in Resembool. Won six times in country wrestling before he quit and moved to Central."

"That's weird...I didn't find anything about a gang he might've led in Central. In fact, any crime he's committed isn't mentioned in the papers at all!"

"Crimes? What are you talking about, sir?" Sheska asked.

Roy hesitated. He didn't want to tell her about Riza's condition, the reason why he was hunting Seth down in the first place. Roy made a forced smile.

"Uh...I just wanted to...track down this guy so I can get the Lieutenant to myself again!"

Sheska blinked in confused amusement. Roy shook her hand.

"Thank you so much for your time, Sheska. You may go now."

"Erm, yes sir. Have a good afternoon..." Sheska gathered her books and left the library. Roy went back to examining the paper, his eyes boring into the image of Seth.

'Where are you hiding, you sneak? Rest assured, I will find you...'

How on earth was he going to find out a gangster's whereabouts? The guy's probably moving around from place to place, going under sewers...or hijacking trains...

Yet another idea struck him, and Roy left the library in anticipation. 'It takes a gangster to know a gangster.' he thought. 'Central prison, here I come.'

* * *

If Central library was a peaceful haven filled with intelligent people, then the prison was a chaotic, dim confinement filled with deranged occupants. Roy was allowed to enter by military authority. He kept his distance from the cells as he searched for his target. Men with scruffy beards and bloodshot eyes peered at him through the bars. Finally, Roy found his destination down several halls. The man inside huddled at the far back corner, so it was safe for Roy to approach closer to the bars.

"You must be Bald, I presume."

Bald had been the ringleader of a gang infamously known for hijacking a train in an attempt to terrorize Central. With the help of the Elric brothers, and Roy's own interception, Bald and his group were promptly arrested and imprisoned. Bald, with his knowledge of gang movement and activity, might just be his key to unlocking Seth's location.

Bald raised his head slowly. He still had the eyepatch, the grizzly black beard and ponytail.

"Yeah, that'd be me. Whaddya want? You come here to fry my ass again?"

"Actually, I've come to ask a few questions from you. Do you know anyone by the name of Seth Rhodes?"

Roy hesitated tensely. He was afraid that Bald wouldn't cooperate and refuse to answer anything. But Bald stared back at Roy oddly and said:

"Yeah, I knew him pretty well. Why d'you ask?"

"Um, it's nothing impor--"

"Don't give me that 'I'm-trying-to-interrogate-you-so-I-can hunt-for-the-rest-of-your-cronies' crap." Bald snorted and spat to the side. "Just because I know him dudn't mean he's my friend. Rhodes was my big rival, used to be an even bigger underground boss."

Roy leaned in, intrigued. "Can you please tell me more?"

"Sure. Well, when Seth was in Central, he used to run a base underground and do all sorts of illegal stuff. Gambling, drug dealing, selling kidnapped kids...Seth wasn't the hijackin' type like myself. But his gang and mine always fought each other. We had the guns. They had the wrestlin' fists."

"I see...wait a minute. You had said he _was_ in Central."

"Yeah. He just moved out of town, way out of town this time. Last time I remembered, his gang went off to some slum in the east or something." Then Bald remarked with amusement: "They're probably bored and spent on girls in Central, and wanna move on to spicier, Ishbalan ones..."

Roy tried his best not to bristle at the remark. But perhaps it was true; Riza might've been their last victim before they went off looking for more girls to terrorize.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I appreciate your help. I'll be going now." Roy turned and walked down the hall. Before he turned a corner, he heard Bald call: "If you manage to kick his ass, tell Seth I said hi, and fuck you!"

"Will do." Roy replied grimly.

* * *

Roy had explained to the headquarters that the eastern slums needed some "military inspection" before he boarded the train. He sat alone, gazed out the window at the fleeting scenery. There was no turning back now. Roy felt he was hot on the trail, and the information he'd gathered was just too much for him to sit by doing nothing. He knew the train was approaching close when the landscape shifted from lush trees and green fields to dusty and barren wastelands. When Roy stepped off, he realized that he was the only one who boarded for this destination. He looked out to the dusty sands that seemed to span endlessly off the horizon and beyond. Roy closed his eyes, took in a deep breath. Then he opened them, exhaled out, tightened his hands and began walking. He packed with him a small, but sufficient sack of provisions, a canteen and a camouflaged, sand-proof coat. Roy had worn the exact same thing during his time in the civil war. And it was that experience that helped him to cope with the arid environment. He knew how to tolerate his thirst, and drank only when it was extremely necessary. He stuck to the sturdiest terrain, so that his feet wouldn't clumsily slide and stumble in the loose sands.

Even so, the desert was largely a vast and unexplored frontier. Around the afternoon, Roy was starting to tire. His feet shuffled wearily in the sand, and his brow was sweating like crazy. Luckily, he knew of a small village between here and the easternmost slums. He would rest there before continuing his journey. By mid evening, just before the sun disappeared beneath the dunes, Roy reached the little village. It really was no more than a trading outpost and a small inn. An Ishbalan man and his wife heartily greeted him inside the motel. As they prepared a dinner of hot bread and soup, three kids peeked from the kitchen and peered shyly at the new guest at the table. They were two boys, about ten and eight, and a girl, about four. All three had messy white hair, tanned skin and skinny, knobbly figures. They continued to stare at Roy when the food was brought out for him. As Roy ate, he carried a conversation with the inn owners.

"What's the name of the slum east from here?" he asked.

"Jalalabad. We used to do lots of trading and bargaining with them." the man replied. "Now there is no more trade. No more money either. It's hard for us to get by."

"Jalalabad has the same problem too." the woman added. "Why do you want to go there? That village has many bad people in charge. They take control of everything."

"Could you tell me more about them? Are they from Amestris?" Roy noticed the way the man and his wife looked away uncomfortably.

"Yes, they come from the west. But we can say no more." the man muttered. "We're not allowed to say anything behind their back. We'll get in big trouble if we tell to strangers."

Roy took out his silver watch that bore the dragon and the hexagram. He held it near his plate.

"I hope that your people today don't take offense, but I am a certified State Alchemist." Roy said. "I might be able to help you and the people of Jalalabad." He didn't take a lot of pride of proving his alchemist status, especially in front of Ishbalans. But there are those even worse than the military injustly taking control. He was ready to do whatever it took to prove to these helpless people that he could make a change. The man and his wife stared at Roy in speechless fascination. Then Roy noticed that the three kids from the kitchen had scuttled up to the table. They seemed to stare with longing at the watch in Roy's hand.

The father looked down at them in disapproval. "Shoo, now. Our guest doesn't need bother with the lot of you."

Roy smiled and shook his head. "No, it's all right." Then he unsnapped the watch's chain and handed it to the oldest boy. "There, you three can keep it for as long as you want. It's only a decoration, not much of a use for me."

The boy turned the watch over, his fingers running over the silver dragon.

Then the kids mumbled an awkward thanks and retreated upstairs.

The woman shook her head as she took away the finished plate. "Kids these days. Even in this hopeless state, they still don't know how to be thankful."

Roy went to sleep afterwards, and dreamed of Seth Rhodes grinning savagely as he assaulted tiny little Ishbalan children.

* * *

The next day, Roy woke up with his alchemist's watch laid neatly on his night stand. Perhaps the kids had snuck into his room to return it. He thanked the villagers and was starting to go on the road again when he heard some commotion inside the door. Roy stopped just outside the inn and strained to listen. The husband and his wife sounded panicked as they argued.

"What are we going to do? Now we don't have anything left--"

"We had no choice. We had to be polite and offer him what he needed. It was our duty as innkeepers." the husband shot back. "Besides, he might just be able to help this entire town."

"But...the kids...How long will they have to put off until there's enough grain in the fields...?"

Then Roy understood.

The children hadn't been interested in his silver watch at all. They had been staring at his food.

* * *

On his entire way to Jalalabad, Roy felt awful about the truly desperate predicament the Ishbalans were in.

'I gotta get to the bottom of this. And fast.'

He arrived at the perimeter Jalalabad by nightfall. Roy saw no traces of human life between the makeshift houses. The village gave off the eerie vibe of a ghost town. Then amid the rundown buildings, under the dim lights, two white-skinned men guarded an entrance. They had rifles slung over their shoulders and handguns cocked at the ready. Roy sucked in a shocked breath. These men must be part of Seth's gang. He started to slip on his gloves and step forward to reveal himself when a pair of solid hands suddenly grabbed him from behind. Another hand covered his mouth before he could cry out in surprise. He was roughly pulled back behind a clump of dry bushes. As soon as the hands released him, Roy said indignantly: "What do you think you're --"

A hand clamped over his mouth again.

"If you value your life, please hush!" a voice in the dark hissed. There appeared to be two figures shrouded in shadow. Then Roy noticed the light reflecting off of their red eyes.

"The villagers of Jalalabad?" he quietly exclaimed. One of them nodded.

"Yes, we're Ishbalans. Please stay quiet and follow us." Roy trailed behind them as they crept low and around the village's border.

"We live at the back." a man explained. "We're up way past curfew, so we're toast if those guards catch us."

They reached a scattering of huts that were in an even poorer state than the buildings at the front. Ishbalan men huddled around dying campfires with blankets tightly wrapped about them. They looked up at the sound of feet treading on sand. Then they leapt up and embraced the two men who had guided Roy.

"Jamal! Omar! Thank goodness you're back! You really had us worried!"

Omar, the bigger and younger of the two, shrugged casually and gestured to Roy.

"We happened to see this wanderer arrive at our village, and we saved him from a tussle with those gangsters."

The older one, Jamal, turned to Roy questioningly.

"What made you come here, traveler? Are you a merchant from Xing?"

Roy stared down at himself. He realized that his sandy-colored cloak covered his military uniform. On top of that, Roy's physical features weren't obviously Amestrian. He would've easily said yes, but his conscience told him otherwise. So he admitted: "No, I'm actually from Amestris, just like those guards. But I'm not a gangster; I'm a military soldier here to take them down."

"You? Take those jerks down by yourself?" one of the men scoffed. "If you don't have a gun, you've got no chance at them."

Again, Roy was forced to brandish his watch. "I'm a State Alchemist, and one of Amestris' most trusted as well. I can help you be rid of these gangsters."

"We've had enough of military presence in our country. Are you just going to use your alchemy to blow up those gangsters, and our town along with it?" Some men nodded in agreement at this.

"I'm tired of just sitting here! Let's gather our forces and rebel! A mob of angry Ishbalans is worth more than a single alchemist." one of them piped up.

"Enough of this!" Jamal snapped. "This man looks honest enough. Haven't you heard that the Xingese never go back on their word?"

Roy assumed that Jamal was their leader, because the men instantly quieted down when he spoke. Jamal shook his head sadly. "It's bad enough that gangsters have control over our village. Our situation will be even worse if we fight with our women and children still taken captive."

At this, several men exchanged somber glances and stared down at their feet gloomily.

Then Roy realized something as he looked around the camp. He saw no signs of women or children anywhere. As if he read Roy's mind, Jamal said: "It's just men here. Farmers, priests and elders. Our women and children are at the heart of the village, enslaved by those scoundrels. We men do all the field work during the day, while the women and children at the gangsters' mercy." Then Jamal's face shadowed in a mixture of sorrow and anger. "I had a teenage daughter, one of the finest young women in the village. Omar here was her fiancee, her husband-to-be."

Roy glanced at the young man who stared off into the village.

"But now, she's become the gang leader's most prized captive. He does whatever he wants to her. Terrible, sinful things to her."

Roy put a comforting hand on Jamal's trembling shoulder. "I have something to tell to you too." he said softly. "I also had...a friend, a very close, dear friend of mine who was assaulted by the same man. I've seen how much she suffered, and I've come here to settle it once and for all."

Jamal seemed to measure Roy with a new understanding and respect in his eyes. Clearly, this soldier was here more than to just arrest the gang.

"Very well. I will stand by your side." Jamal declared resolutely. "I can't bear to see my daughter suffer any longer. We will strike tonight!"

The rest of the men, who happened to overhear the entire conversation, also grew to respect Roy. They willingly listened to his and Jamal's scheme, and they split into action with smirks on their faces.

* * *

Roy headed back to where he first tried to enter Jalalabad's interior. He crouched behind the bushes and strained his neck to peek out. The guards were still at their same posts, except they looked a lot sleepier than before. Roy quietly slipped a pyrotex glove into his left hand. He carefully extended his arm to aim, and quickly snapped.

It came like greased lightning. All the guard saw was a red spark in the shadows, and before he knew it, his rifle combusted in his hands.

"What the hell?"

Another spark flew, and his companion's rifle also exploded in front of his face. The guards cried out in pain and panic as they clutched their burned hands and faces. Ishbalan men, who had been hiding in the sidelines, stepped out and immediately silenced the guards with sharp whacks on the heads. Jamal and Roy stepped out of the shadows and stopped in front of the entrance to the gangsters' hub. Omar deftly tied rags to the unconscious guards' mouths. "Give us a shout if you need us. We'll be right outside." he said.

Jamal and Roy nodded, then they entered through the wall of fabric. The floor dipped down to a spiral of descending stairs. It reminded Roy of old, dusty catacombs. Noises of laughter, the jingling of bells and clinking of glasses reached their ears. They pushed through another sheet of overhanging fabric and stumbled into the gang's central room. At first, the gangsters were too busy to notice. They were all at dining tables that made a rectangle around the room. Each man had at least one woman or child with them as they laughed and clapped rhymatically. An old woman was beating away at a drum. But all eyes were at the center of the room, where a beautiful Ishbalan woman swayed and danced to the beat. Hips swung, wrists rotated and arms dipped in hypnotic, fluid movements. Bracelets laced with bells adorned her wrists, ankles and neck, and they jingled at each little movement. She wore revealing, gypsy-like, almost skimpy clothing that exposed the curve of her hips and her slim legs.

Then a loud, commanding rap on the table halted everything. Suddenly, the young woman stopped dancing. The old lady dropped her drumsticks. Every man, woman and child turned to look at Jamal and Roy, the newcomers. The dancer stared at Jamal in disbelief.

"Father? What are you doing here?"

"Yes, I'd like to ask the same question. Why are you here? You're up past curfew." A man seated at the core of the biggest dining table rose to view the visitors better. Roy gritted his teeth as he recognized that same strong face, the same intimidating figure on the cover of a Resembool newspaper. It was none other than Seth Rhodes, the most powerful underground gang leader and Riza's predator.

"Where are my guards? They're the strongest pair in my group. They should've knocked you out a while ago."

Roy stepped forward and threw off his cloak to reveal his trademark blue uniform.

"It was I, Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist, who had defeated them." The Ishbalans and gangsters murmured in awe and fascination at this.

"And I have a score to settle with you, Seth Rhodes."

Seth raised his eyebrows and jumped from the table to the center so he could peer closer.

"Roy Mustang, huh? How'd you get this far to find me?"

"Let's just say I've got friends and sources in high places. Now, I've finally hunt you down, and you're not slipping by easily." Roy warned.

Seth seemed to ignore Roy's threat as he embraced Jamal's daughter. His hands slid up and down her belly, slowly, gently.

"Too bad you could've come earlier." he casually remarked as he brushed his lips to her earlobe and kept his eyes on Roy. "You should've seen how talented she was, my little Ishbalan dancer."

Jamal's daughter sucked in a nervous, shaky breath, and Jamal trembled as he tried to hold back his rage.

Seth let go of the young woman's earlobe and tipped his chin at Roy.

"How's my ex doing?"

Roy froze, paralyzed. Seth began to stroke the girl's arm with trailing fingers.

"Tell me, my dear Fuhrer-to-be, how did she look when you found her?"

Jamal shot a questioning look. Roy still kept his mouth shut, his fists balled at his sides until sweat broke out.

"Was she out cold, or did she squirm around in the street dirt like a dying worm?" The corners of Seth's mouth tugged up a little.

"Shut up." Roy growled.

"Did you get to see her naked for the first time?"

"Shut up."

"Did you see between her legs?" Seth pressed. He was clearly enjoying it. "Or perhaps you couldn't see them through all the blood?"

"Shut up."

"I wonder how long she had been in ER. Even more interesting, the total sum of her hospital bill."

"I. Said. Shut. Up."

Seth looked upon Roy's trembling form, his eyes that lit with hot rage. Then his mouth spread into a wide, gleeful smirk. "I fucked her up real good, didn't I?"

"I SAID SHUT UP, YOU GODDAMN JERK!" Roy roared. Everyone in the room, including Seth's comrades, flinched.

Only Seth remained unmoving, and his grin didn't falter.

"So what brings a distinguished alchemist like you here to these obscure slums? Are you here to bring vengeance for your precious Lieutenant?"

"I'm here for more than that." Roy slipped one of his pyrotex gloves. "This place has suffered enough from your gang's presence. Now that I'm here, I'll make sure these poor people are free from your insanity."

Roy stepped forward threateningly, and Seth's gangsters moved to close in. They immediately halted when Seth whipped up a hand.

"Wait. I see where this is going, and I'm likin' it." He turned to his comrades. "No one interferes, you got that? The first guy that gets in the way's gonna get his lights socked out."

Seth rose from his seat and shoved Jamal's daughter to the side. Her hip struck the edge of a table and the bells jingled as she landed on the dust floor.

Seth put a hand to his back pocket. "You wanna fight? Fine. I like an honest, man to man duel. I'm guessing that winner takes it all?"

Seth fished out a pair of stainless steel brass knuckles from behind. As he fit them into his hands, the lantern's light glinted off the sharp, fatal edges. He fell into a natural fighting stance. "Ready whenever you are, Flame Alchemist."

Roy beckoned for Jamal to stand back. Then he and Seth circled each other like a pair of wolves aiming for a potential opening. Roy's eyes darted about the small room, sizing it up by its perimeter and fighting space. Seth never took his eyes off of Roy's wary fists. Then their gazes met, and their glares held like a crackle of electricity between their faces.

Roy raised his hand to snap, and all hell went loose.

For his compact and heavyset body, Seth was surprisingly quick. With one lunge and a jab of his fist, the brass knuckles shredded the glove's transmutation circle. Seth grabbed Roy's extended arm and threw him high into the air in a flying arc before Roy's back hit the ground. Roy spat out the dusty dirt from his mouth and cursed.

Seth's men began hollering in excitement as they formed a makeshift arena-like circle around the two competitors.

Seth didn't release his grip, but he let Roy lay on the ground as he spoke:

"Not used to close combat? In that case, you're doing me a big favor."

Roy's mind raced furiously. 'Damn, there goes my left glove. If I use my right one, it'll blow the whole place up. Guess I've got no choice but to fight down and dirty...'

Roy tried to swing his free arm, but Seth caught that too, so that Roy hung like a ragdoll. The gangsters made faces and jeered at Roy as he struggled in vain. Suddenly, he remembered Riza's trademark tripkick. He let his body slacken, so that it looked like he gave up. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, Roy pivoted his hips and lashed an extended leg at Seth's feet.

Seth, completely caught unawares, tripped from under his feet and landed right on top of Roy. The two men immediately tackled and locked on to each other as they tussled and writhed on the floor. Roy gasped for breath and battled frantically against Seth's crushing weight. Seth raised a cocked arm and slugged his brass knuckles into Roy's stomach. Jamal and his daughter's winces were drowned by the gangsters' hoots and whistles as Roy recoiled in pain. Seeing that he had the upper hand, Seth continued his ferocious onslaught. Again and again, Seth's fists spared no part of Roy's body. The brass knuckles pounded Roy's back, both shoulders, the ribs. Roy felt his breath escape in a wheeze as the weapons dug into his sternum.

The more Seth landed hits, the more his friends cheered him on. The room echoed from the taunting roars and boos. Roy was beginning to lose it. His vision swam until the crowd looked like a single, noisy mass. His breathing became ragged and exhausted as he absorbed one hit after another.

Before Roy had time to dodge, Seth's fist flew and crushed his entire right jaw. Roy felt his lower jawbone dislocate in a numb crack, and blood immediately welled up inside his mouth. As Seth's arm drew back, Roy took the chance to cough and spit it out before a fist drove into his stomach again.

"This is the great and powerful Flame Alchemist?" Seth asked between pants. "I've seen Ishbalan brats that can fight twice as well!"

Then he grabbed the uniform's collar and thrust his face close to Roy's.

"Given up yet? Answer me, you pathetic sack of turd! ANSWER ME!"

Roy numbly felt a loose canine tooth probing his tongue. He blinked open his heavy eyelids and weakly replied:

"You want my answer? Here it is!"

Roy desperately pried the tooth out of his gums and spat it out with all his might.

Seth's hand instantly flew to his face, and Roy was thrown back onto the floor. All Roy heard were cries of shock and surprise, then Seth's agonized howl:

"MY EYE! HE SPAT INTO MY FUCKIN' EYE!!"

Roy blinked several times and tried to refocus. He saw Seth lying postrate in front of him, still screaming and clutching at one side of his face. Blood and a whitish gel-like liquid seeped between his fingers. Then Roy understood: he had shot his incisor, the sharpest teeth in the mouth, straight into Seth's left eye.

The gangsters broke their circle and surrounded their leader to help him. Seth snarled and pushed away peoples' hands with one arm. Jamal and his daughter hurried forward to help Roy. Jamal's daughter used the long sleeve of her robe to dab away at the blood on Roy's face.

"Sir, are you all right?" Jamal asked, his voice full of concern. Roy cracked a smile, and winced at the sore pain.

"A few bruises here and there...a missing tooth...but it's okay. I'll live."

Roy pressed a hand against his chin as Jamal and his daughter helped him to stand up. Ignoring the spikes of pain that jabbed his battered body, Roy slowly walked up to his fallen foe. Seth remained with his knees on the ground. Roy noticed the blood dripping and gathering into a pool at Seth's lap.

"If I can remember, this was exactly how I had found Riza, minus the eye." Roy murmured. "There. Does that answer your question from earlier?"

The gangsters huddled about the outside perimeter of the room, looking rather shaken and insecure. With their leader down, they were helpless. They eyed Roy with a sort of horrifying fascination. This was the first time someone had ever challenged and defeated their god.

At first, Seth said nothing. He glared up at Roy through a single eye.

"What are you going to do now, Flame Alchemist?" he sneered. "Are you going to be rid of me here and now?"

"Your life isn't mine to take." Roy spat back. He was remembered of that night Riza had cut herself. Before, she had told him that killing her attacker out of hatred would achieve nothing.

"I'll leave your fate to the very woman you've hurt and toyed with. Perhaps then you wouldn't be so lucky."

**Yay for violence, blood and guts galore! Fun fun fun! :D As usual, I hoped you got a thrill off of that chapter. Chapter 10 coming (hopefully) soon!!**


	10. Decision Day

**I realize that it's been a month since I updated...when in doubt, blame AP exams. :)**

**Woo hoo! 'Tis the first time I've reached a double digit chapter! xD I've read and thought over the great millipede name suggestions. (Fabio, Milly, Mr. Centipede, Porky, Spiderleg and Supercalifragilisticexpiliadocious) The winning name is Little Sherron, named after my awesome AP Biology teacher. Everyone in my class suggested the name.**

**Thanks to everyone who wrote thorough reviews or gave me name suggestions. You know I love yooou. :3**

Stumble Through the Dark (10)

Decision Day

All the commotion from underground had drawn Omar's group inside. They arrived just in time after the fight, and had rounded up the gangsters in timely fashion. Women hugged one another, their faces wet with tears of joy. Children bolted and scampered out of the underground entrance, screaming and laughing. The Ishbalan men came out with the corraled gangsters beside them. Three men had an injured and defeated Seth roped between them. A cloth had been hastily pressed onto his bad eye and held by a thin rope. Jamal, his daughter and Roy were the last to emerge. The villagers whooped and applauded upon seeing the three, as if the whole thing were a post-war parade.

Omar rushed toward Jamal's daughter and embraced her tightly. She hugged him back, though she looked a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry that you have to see me wearing these terrible clothes..." He only smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry about it. What matters is that you're alive." He turned to Roy and shook his hand gratefully.

"And it's all thanks to this wonderful alchemist. I truly don't know how to express my gratitude to you, sir." Jamal gently patted Roy's shoulder. "I'd like to say the same. Thanks to you, our village is finally free of those low-life scoundrels. We'll be able to run our trades and replenish our food stock again. And more importantly, you've saved our loved ones." At this, Jamal wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulder. The rest of the villagers continued to cheer on.

"Praise to Ishvala for your bravery and kindness!"

"I wouldn't know what would happen to my kids if you didn't come along!"

"Thank you, Mr. Alchemist!" a kid cried out.

Roy didn't know what to say. One, because he wasn't used to a flood of compliments from a race that hated soldiers like him. Two, he didn't know if he could talk through a dislocated jaw. But the two men seemed to understand by the way his eyes wavered and softened. Roy was obviously moved by the whole thing.

Omar gestured curtly toward Seth. "Want to leave the death penalty to us Ishbalans? Stoning is still a popular execution method around these parts."

Roy laughed, and the movement made his jaw ache. "Thanks for the offer, but I think your people already have enough on their hands. Leave Seth and his gang to me. Seth is technically an Amestrian citizen, so a trial will be held for him in Central."

"A trial for him? I think molesting children, raping women and raiding our supplies are good enough for punishment at the gallows, trial or not." Jamal remarked wryly.

"Personally, I couldn't agree with you more." Roy replied. "But we're a country with judicial laws. Every person, no matter how terrible their crimes may be, has a chance to testify before considered innocent or guilty."

"Will each and every one of these scumbags get a trial?" Omar asked.

"Well, if we can prove that Seth is guilty, there will be no need for more trials. The rest of his men will be guilty by association."

"Would you like for us to come with you and be your witnesses?" Jamal's daughter quietly spoke up.

Roy gingerly shook his head. "I appreciate you for trying to help. But I think your fellow villagers need you more than I do. Just worry about repairing the village and restoring the trade market. And...I've already got a friend in Amestris who might be willing to act as a witness."

"At least let us escort you and the criminals to the Amestrian border, then the security guards can pick them up from there. That way, you don't have to deal with all of them by yourself amid a great desert." Jamal suggested.

"Hmm...that sounds like a very good idea. I didn't think about the possible dangers if I went alone. A few able-bodied villagers would do the job." Roy said.

Jamal looked to the rapidly fading dusk. The sunlight began to shyly peek through the dark clouds. "We can set off first thing at sunrise." he said.

Omar sprinted back to the corral. "I'll get the horses ready."

Within half an hour, Omar got the team of horses and mules lined up and holstered. Each animal bore two people, with Jamal, Omar and Roy riding the village's best horses. The villagers that volunteered went by foot to keep the entire line steady and on track. As the makeshift caravan headed out, villagers tagged behind and waved goodbye to the heroes of the day. Roy looked down and smiled as the kids bounced up and down near his horse and waved at him wildly. He waved until the village was a mere speck in the sand dunes.

Then he turned his attention back to the criminals on the mules. With the rope binding their hands and connecting with the mules' neck, the gangsters had no hope in getting away. The villagers flanked the mules closely, so Roy figured that he didn't have to worry so much.

Roy, Jamal and Omar only made small talk in order to save their energy across the desert. When the sun fully rose, they ceased chatting altogether.

By mid-noon they passed by the outpost and the inn. The innkeeping family poked their heads out, saw the tied up gangsters, and saluted Roy. He could see that the kids looked healthier than last time. He cracked a weak smile and saluted back.

Later on the journey, Roy found his mouth aching and throbbing profusely. He kept running his tongue over the semi-crater in his gums, the slot where his incisor should be. It had stopped bleeding a while ago; but it was still sensitive and tender like new skin. Normally, he would worry about the way his wound bruised his ego and good looks. What would ladies think if he flashed them a smirk ruined by a missing tooth? He couldn't possibly replace a perfectly white incisor with a gaudy, golden cap.

He glanced across at Seth and his bandaged eye.

'Well, at least it's in a better place now.' he wryly thought.

The caravan reached the Amestrian border by sundown. A few security guards kept vigil at their posts, and their eyes widened at the sight. Then they smartly snapped to attention upon seeing Roy.

"Er, good evening sir." one of the guards spoke up. "May we ask who all these people are?"

Roy climbed off of his horse and gestured towards Omar, Jamal and the other Ishbalan men.

"I've been kindly escorted from Jalalabad by its generous villagers."

Then he indicated the gangsters and Seth. "These men, however, had invaded their village and didn't deserve to stay there. They have also commited many crimes within this country as well."

The security guards took in Roy's words, then sized up the caravan behind him.

"Seems plausible." a guard grunted. "We can discuss any offenses these men might've commited in a proper trial. But for now, we'll round them up and keep them in custody for a few days."

Then the guard took one good look at Seth. "Not this guy though. He's gonna have to get that eye patched up at Central hospital before we land him in prison."

Roy didn't quite like the guard's last suggestion, since Riza was also staying at the hospital. He hoped that her day of release would be very soon. Nevertheless, he reluctantly agreed to the guard's dictation.

As the guards got the criminals off and handcuffed them, Roy turned to the villagers.

"Thank you everyone. If it weren't for you, I didn't think I would make through the wasteland in one piece." he said gratefully.

"Like I said, it's the least we could do, sir." Jamal shrugged modestly. He clapped Omar on the back. "Let's head home, before my sweet daughter gets worried sick over us."

"I agree with you all the way, my future father-in-law." Omar replied cheerfully.

The Ishbalan men dipped their heads to Roy before climbing back on their horses.

"You've changed our lives, Flame Alchemist. We will never forget the more compassionate side of Amestris." Jamal stated. "I hope to see you among the top one day. You have the makings of a great leader." Then he glanced warily at Seth. "And the best of luck to you."

"Goodbye Jamal. Goodbye Omar. I won't forget you either." Roy replied.

He watched the caravan disappear beyond the farthest dune he could see. And he was alone again. There was one more thing he must do. Much as his weary body screamed protests at him, Roy walked down the lane to the Central hospital, where his most important witness rested.

----------------------------------------

Roy could only pray that the luminiscent hospital lights didn't reveal the patched bruises along the side of his face. He leaned on the wall next to the door of Riza's room, uncertain and nervous. Twice, he made as if to turn the knob. And twice, he pulled back his hand at the last minute. What should he tell her? How was he going to explain himself if her sharp eyes noticed his battered face? How was he going to tell her about...him? Roy unconsciously adjusted and smoothed his shirt. He moved his mouth experimentally, and realized that he couldn't open it up very far. He was going to have to make small talk. Roy breathed through his nose, and let out a gusty exhale through his lips. And this time, he didn't hesitate when he turned the knob and entered the room.

Riza laid in a reclining position on the bed. She looked as if she just finished dinner; Roy saw her set an empty tray aside. It comforted him to see that she was eating well, and that she actually ate beyond halfway of the meal. He also noticed a bunch of books stacked at the little table next to her. They appeared to be bookmarked and newly checked out. Rebecca must've gone out to give her books again. Her head perked up slightly at the sound of the door, and she turned to look at him. Her face was blank and expressionless, but her eyes observed his face closely. Roy had a strong urge to turn his face away; he felt as if her eyes burned holes into his bruised jaw.

But he could only smile at her awkwardly and say: "Um...hello, Riza. I'm sorry that I couldn't check on you for a while. How are you doing?"

Riza remained silent, though her staring eyes seemed as if they had far more questions of her own.

Roy unconsciously put a hand to the side of his lower right cheek. He couldn't lie to her now; if he did, there was no way he could get her to be a witness.

"I must look like a real wreck, huh?"

"What happened to you?" Riza's quiet, yet blunt question nearly took Roy off guard.

Roy stiffened, and he said hesitantly:

"Things got pretty rowdy at Jalalabad. I got into a fight with some gangsters. They harassed the people, and I couldn't let them get away with it. I also couldn't let them get away from...what they did to you."

Riza's mouth slowly narrowed to a tight line. He could hear her breathe tensely through her nose.

Roy forced himself to go on: "I found him. The leader of the entire gang. The guy who attacked and hurt you. Seth Rhodes is his full name, isn't it?"

He paused and nervously waited for Riza's reaction. He expected some sign of trauma, like a look of horror. Or even fainting.

But to his great surprise, she did nothing of the sort. She merely stared back, her gaze bouncing from his cheek to his jaw.

"Did he do that to you? Was it the brass knuckles?" Her voice was soft and expressionless.

"Y-yeah. How did you know?"

"I think that after being his girlfriend for half a year, I would know." she promptly replied.

Roy was pleasantly astounded. It seemed like Riza was returning to her sharp and reassured self again. Her voice was no longer scratchy, and so far had replied to all his questions with words.

"What did you...do to him?" Riza asked hesitantly.

"I didn't finish him off, if that's what you had in mind." Roy quickly said. "Although...he knocked me up quite a bit." He pulled a wry and relaxed smile, so that the gap between his teeth showed.

Riza's eyes seemed to waver and soften upon looking at it.

The two of them fell silent, and an awkward quietness ensued.

Riza was the first to break the silence. "Dr. Knox and Audley said I'm going to be discharged tommorrow."

"That's wonderful, Riza." Roy couldn't disguise the immense relief in his voice. She wouldn't have to be here by the time Seth moves in. Roy couldn't imagine a better date for her discharge.

"Seth and his men are taken into custody and await a trial. I think it would go very smoothly and justly if you showed up as a witness. The judges would benefit from your personel proof. Are you all right with that, Riza?"

She took in his words carefully, and didn't say anything for a long time.

"Let me think about it." she finally replied.

"Um, okay then. Call me when you're ready to make your decision. Take as much time as you want."

Roy slipped his hands into the pockets of his uniform. He turned to leave, and he paused before heading out.

"Good night, Riza. Sleep well." His normally dark, passive eyes held tender concern for her.

"Good night, sir." she held back his gaze until he quietly shut the door behind him.

----------------------------------------

Riza's eyes lingered on the closed door. Then she turned her head the other way to the sunset-flooded window. Her mind swirled with a certain turmoil, and a turmoil of uncertainity. She closed her eyes and let the sunlight warmly bathe her face.

Days ago, just the mention or a reminder of Seth would render her nauseous. She had been close to vomiting when visions of his charming but deceptive face plagued her mind. But lately, the frequent visits from all her friends helped her to pull through. She wouldn't feel close to mentally recovering if they hadn't often showed up.

"Forget about that guy, Riza. He's not worth fretting about." Gracia had said one day. "Instead, just think about the people that love and support you."

"Sometimes, I feel like all this is my fault. My own weakness landed me in here." Riza had murmured to her.

Gracia had gently squeezed her hand in reassurance and comfort.

"Don't think of such negative things. It's not going to get you anywhere. If you keep doing that, you'll dig a hole that'll get too deep for you to climb out.

"I've felt the same way when I lost my husband. At his funeral, I felt as if it was the end of the world. But then I had to remember little Elysia. That I had to be strong and happy for her, even when her Daddy wasn't going to come home anymore."

Riza had felt her heart ache in sympathy for Gracia.

"I think rape victims have it even harder." Gracia went on. "When I think about it, it's not so hard when you lose someone. You get to carry all those cherished memories of that person. But sexual assault can destroy you from the inside, like a parasite. My pain is probably nothing compared to yours, Riza. If I were in your shoes, I don't think I'd survive."

Riza sighed gloomily and stared at the blanket.

"But here's the thing. You're not me. You're you. You're Lt. Colonel Riza Hawkeye, one of the strongest and most respected soldiers I've ever known. So what if you're kicked and beaten down? Get up and fight back. No matter how hard it is, you've got to fight for your honor and the people you love."

Riza stared in astonishment. That was the same thing she had told Edward Elric when he couldn't shoot the gun to protect Winry. Gracia's voice was unusually sharp and firm. But she was right. It was time that Riza listened to her own advice and did her duty.

Gracia's last phrase had resounded through Riza's head for days.

_Fight for the people you love..._

Then she was instantly reminded of Roy's battered self when he came to visit. Her keen eyes missed nothing, no matter how hard he had tried to hide it. She hadn't missed the subtle tears in his uniform, the shredded gloves hastily stowed in his pockets. She certainly hadn't missed the deformity of his jaw.

It was tough to beat Seth in a fair fight. She had seen him knock out guys twice his size with those deadly brass knuckles. But somehow, miraculously, Roy broke his winning streak. He was able to defeat Seth without flame alchemy. And he did it all in her name. Riza couldn't imagine a bigger sacrifice. The physical toll Roy had paid was very high; the slot between his teeth said so.

Riza picked up the little wooden gun from the nightstand. She gazed intently at it. Smoothed her fingers over the nozzle. After a while, she set it down on her lap.

Elysia's request rang through her memory: "Make sure you get better so you can shoot bad guys and protect Uncle Roy, okay?"

'That's just what I'll do, Elysia.' Riza thought. 'Roy did more than enough on his part. Now it's my turn to help him out.'

Riza sat up in her bed resolutely. She had made up her mind.

She picked up the phone from the nightstand and dialed Roy's home number.

"Hello? Riza, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me."

"It's almost ten o' clock. What are you doing up so late?"

"I've been thinking for a while. And I'm ready to make my decision."

"Already? You could've waited until morning." Roy's surprise was evident through the line.

"No, tonight's good." Riza paused to clear her throat. "I'm going. I'll come to the trial whenever it begins."

"A-are you sure about this? No second thoughts?"

"None. I'm ready to do my part, sir."

For the first time in weeks, Riza had never felt so confident and sure of herself.

Meanwhile, on the other line, Roy grinned fondly. It was music to his ears to have that faultless, strong voice back into his life again.

**To the 52 people who put this story on alert but didn't review...the time is noooow....xD**


	11. Welcome Home

**Great. Now I've got Michael Jackson stuck in my head for days now. The tune of Beat It is lodged in my brain like a pimple. I'm getting crazy urges to spontaneously dance and burst into song. It's all Billie Jean's fault!! xD**

Stumble Through the Dark (11)

Welcome Home

As soon as Riza had confirmed her choice, Roy immediately began arranging for the trial.

'The first thing I need is a judge. A good, fair one. A judge who wouldn't let his emotions or opinions get in the way of the entire thing.'

Roy had been musing this out loud as he paced his office. Major Armstrong flung open the office door in a gusty whoosh.

"Sir, I have just the ideal judge for you!"

Roy nearly leapt out of his boots. Armstrong was really getting into the habit of overhearing conversations.

His head still rang from the Major's declaration.

"Who do you have in mind, Major?"

"My eldest sister, Olivier Mira Armstrong. She studied and got a degree in law." Armstrong nodded in admiration as he gushed about his oldest sibling. "Her remarkable talent of fairness in a trial has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations. You know very well that we keep alive hundreds of abilities in our blood."

'What isn't on your list?' Roy almost said this aloud.

But he peered at the Major with interest.

"I didn't know that she studied law. But when I think about it, it makes sense. She's very rational, and isn't prone to let her feelings get the better of her. She's just the person I need. Has she gone back to Briggs with her soldiers?"

"She let everyone else depart north after the party at your aunt's bar." Then Armstrong added a little ruefully: "She stayed behind to take care of the estate that she had rightfully claimed. I think she's leaving next week."

Roy was already donning his black coat. "I'm going to ask if she can preside over the trial. Even if it kills me."

Armstrong looked a tad doubtful. But the deadset determination in Roy's eyes kept Armstrong from voicing any warnings.

Roy hurriedly left headquarters and walked amid the cool, early morning breeze. He could smell the moist dew rolling off the blades of grass.

He'd better make this visit short and sweet. He prayed that he would have enough time afterwards to take Riza home from the hospital. Above all, he hoped that Olivier was in an early bird listening mood.

Roy arrived at the Armstrong estate's vast front yard. He paused for a moment, awed by the beautiful landscape when exposed to the sun and mist. Then he approached the decorative door and rapped his fist against it. He took two steps back, in case Olivier would burst out with a sword aimed at his face. Fortunately, such a thing didn't happen. A few seconds later, the Major General pulled open the door with no weapon in hand. She lacked her military jacket, and instead wore a black, tight-fitting turtleneck. It was strange to see her without the furry Briggs-style coat enveloping her figure. Had not her extremely long hair betrayed her, Olivier might as well could be mistaken for Hawkeye.

She scowled at him. "What do you want, Mustang? It's not like you to wake up this early."

"I'm up for something very important. Can we talk about this inside?"

Olivier regarded him for a moment. Then she shrugged, and let him step into the mansion. He was greeted by a lengthy dinner table as long as the room. If he could remember, this was where Havoc almost claimed the youngest Armstrong as his girlfriend.

Olivier gestured for him to take the nearest seat. Instead of walking all the way to sit at the other side like her eccentric father, Olivier took a seat only a little across from him.

'Good, this saves me from yelling what I have to say across the entire room. Finally, an Armstrong with common sense.' Roy thought in relief.

Olivier folded her arms across her chest. She peered at Roy closely.

"If your intention for coming is to claim rights to the estate, you realize that I'll have to kick you to the curb like I did with my little brother. I don't care if you're a Field Marshal. I don't care if you're the Xingese emperor himself. As long as I'm breathing and fighting, I'm not going to give you the house just yet."

Roy tried not sound exasperated as he rebuked her assumption.

"It's not about me, Major General. I want to talk about Lt. Colonel Hawkeye, and the predicament she's in."

He knew she liked Hawkeye just as much as she despised him. He saw Olivier relax her stiffened posture.

"What could possibly be bothering her?"

"Remember that night of the party? She didn't--couldn't come because..."

Roy trailed off, unsure of where to begin. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "It's a long story."

Roy decided to start from the very beginning. He left nothing out and told her everything. His aunt's bar, Grumman, Central hospital, Jalalabad, the villagers, Seth, Riza...names and events were a whirlpool in his mind, yet he gave faultless details of each of them as he spoke.

Olivier listened to Roy's story without interupption. She listened intensely and thoroughly, and appeared to weigh the situation once Roy finished.

"I see. So that's why the bottom half of your face looks like a prune." she remarked. By the faint smirk, she seemed to enjoy the fact.

"But getting back on subject...you want me to decide on what happens to Seth, is that right?"

Roy confirmed this with a tentative nod.

Olivier looked deep in thought for a few seconds.

"It's a tight predicament, all right. But not impossible." she finally said.

"You'll carry out the trial?" Roy leaned forward in his chair.

"Sure. If you can give me a number of good witnesses."

Roy named everyone who were well aware of Seth's crimes.

Then Olivier commented about each of them.

"There's no need to bring an entire village of Ishbalans here. They're a very honest people. As you had said to them, it'd be best if they'll stay to repair their village.

As for Bald...I suppose we can include him if he behaves. The last thing I want is for him and Seth to start a gang fight in the courtroom.

Lt. General Grumman and Hawkeye's friends can participate as well. We might need a handful of soldiers like them to keep those gangsters in check.

And for Hawkeye...I have to say that I'm genuinely surprised. She must've recovered very quickly to agree on coming. Let's hope that she'll keep her cool intact when she faces him."

'I hope so too. That's exactly what I'm worried about.' Roy thought.

"When will she be ready?" Olivier asked.

"Oh, she's ready for anytime. You just say the word, Major General."

"Very well. It'll take a little time to arrange an appointment and get everyone ready. Perhaps after Seth gets his eye fixed at the hospital."

That seemed to seal the conversation. Olivier rose, and Roy did likewise. As they walked to the door, Roy managed to say: "Thank you for doing this. It would mean a lot for Hawkeye."

"It's the least I could do. To be honest, I'm looking forward to it. I was starting to think that Central has no sense of drama and excitement."

At the threshold, Olivier gave him a little push that made him take two more steps forward.

"Get out of my face. I don't want to see that ugly jaw until the trial."

Roy tried his best not to laugh.

"Right. Thank you again."

Olivier's response was a curled lip and then a punctuating shut of the door.

Roy made his way to Central hospital with his spirits high as the rising sun. Much of the fog and mist had already evaporated as the morning progressed.

Roy didn't need to think as he took the memorized route to Riza's room. The glass windows were free of curtains, and Roy could get a full view of her room. Out of Riza's period of depression, this was the first time he's ever seen the curtains off to the side. It was if the room was opening up from a hiding place of private misery.

Dr. Knox, Audley and Dr. Heath huddled around the bed and were talking with Riza. They were smiling, she was smiling. Hers wasn't as wide, as open. But it was still a smile. Roy's heart lifted at the sight.

He opened the unlocked door, and all four turned to look.

"Good morning, sir. It's great to see you again." Audley greeted cheerfully.

Dr. Knox gestured to Riza. "We were just discussing on how well she's recovering. And I'd say that she's good to go."

"Did you come to take her home?" Audley asked.

"Yes, I am. Is that okay with you, Riza?"

She nodded. "I'm ready to go home right now, sir."

"Okay, we just need to see how good your locomotion is. Take your time getting off the bed. We don't want anything tearing from standing up too fast." Dr. Knox said.

Roy rushed over to help Audley support Riza as she slowly sat up and rested both feet on the floor. Riza sucked in a deep breath before she carefully exerted herself and rose. Roy gripped her shoulder firmly as her legs nearly gave way. She quickly steadied herself and stood tall and straight with no further problem.

"How are you feeling? You've got any kind of pain?" Dr. Knox asked.

Riza attempted to hide her strained tone. "Just a little sore around my thighs, that's all."

"To be safe, stay close to her side and support her body as she's walking." Dr. Heath suggested to Roy.

Dr. Knox surveyed Riza's steady posture for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction.

"With that done, I guess it's goodbye to this medical coop, young lady."

Riza reached out to shake his hand heartily. She also accepted Audley's hand. "Thank you so much for taking care of me. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

"Aaah, it's nothing." Dr. Knox waved an awkward, dismissive hand. "All in the name of duty, you know."

"You've been a very strong patient, and your superior here has been a great supporter. Please take care." Audley grinned.

Riza shook Dr. Heath's hand last. "Thank you for the surgery. I don't think I'd be here if I was left in the wheelchair to bleed to death."

"We'd never do such a thing, and it was my pleasure to get to know you." Dr. Heath replied warmly.

Riza went to the bathroom to change into the civilian clothes Maria had dropped off for her. Roy smiled as she finished and was now fully prepared to leave. He would take an oxford shirt and black skirt over a bland hospital gown any day.

As Roy carefully guided Riza to the door, they waved goodbye to the kind, life-saving doctors before they headed out.

Roy stuck close to Riza's side as he kept his arm around her shoulders for balance. Her own arm was wrapped around Roy's back, her shoulder pressed against his. To any outsider, they looked like a deeply bonded couple. Riza lightly blushed at the thought. Nevertheless, she still leaned against him for support.

They passed the secretary nurse on the way out. Riza tried not to meet her envious, infuriated glare. On Roy's part, he tried to keep a slow pace for Riza. After speedwalking to places all morning, he forced himself to be more patient and considerate.

Riza breathed and sighed in content as they left the hospital.

"The air feels so good after staying inside for so long." she said softly.

"I could imagine." Roy rubbed her shoulder gently.

Unfortunately, Riza's apartment was a number of blocks away from the hospital. As they continued down the sidewalk, Riza's stride grew progessively quicker and stronger.

"Don't drive yourself too hard, Riza. Remember what the doctors said."

Riza looked so concentrated that she only nodded to Roy's gentle warning and kept walking.

They finally stopped and rested at her porch. Exhausted and out of breath, Riza rested her head against his shoulder and took in measured gulps of air. She sweated a little, and he could feel her body tremble from the effort.

"Riza, are you all right? Are you injured?" Roy tried to rub her arm comfortingly.

"Just...not used to long distances...thighs hurt..." she panted.

"Let's get you inside, and I can bring you some water to drink."

Roy supported her with one arm and unlocked the door with the other. He led her around the grocery bags Hayate had dropped off on the night of the attack. Riza sunk gratefully onto the couch. She looked spent and a little sleepy. Roy filled a glass of cold water and held it for her as she eagerly gulped it down.

"Feeling better?"

"A little." Riza murmured drowsily. Her head started to nod off.

Roy rushed to her bedroom and came out with a pillow and blanket. He helped her to get comfortable as he pulled the blanket up to her chest. Riza gazed up at him through heavily lidded eyes.

"It's good to be home. I feel so safe when you're with me, sir." she said no more, and her breathing quickly slowed to an even rhythm as she slept.

'Wow, she must be really exhausted. I guess she needs that sleep, she's going to have to deal with a lot in the next few days.' Roy thought.

He stayed close by her side, watching the relaxed, peaceful contours of her face. There were no IV tubes, beeping monitors and noisy ventilators to disturb the quiet environment of her home. No longer did he have to look into a face of silent agony during every dreaded night at the hospital. Her skin looked much pinker and healthier, and her eyebrows didn't scrunch over her eyelids in pain. In fact, she even appeared to be smiling in her sleep.

Roy heard a rapid scuffling from the back door, and he turned to see Black Hayate hurtling in. The dog leapt and barked excitedly at the sight of his master home at last.

"Ssh, Hayate! Be quiet, you'll wake her up." Roy urgently hissed.

Hayate immediately shut his yapping jaws and reduced it to a hushed whine. He quietly padded next to Roy and Riza. He sniffed at one of Riza's overhanging hands and licked her fingers.

A corner of Riza's mouth tugged upwards. Her fingers jerked and ruffled Hayate's head fur. The canine hopped onto the couch to settle down next to her.

"Hey boy. Did you miss me?"

Roy grinned as Hayate nuzzled his cheek against hers and growled softly, as if to say: "Welcome home."

**"You wanna stay alive, better do what you can**

**So beat it, just beat it"**

**That's right Writer's Block, just beat it, you fool! :3**


	12. Testimony

**Because of my interest in science over law, the trial in this story may make no sense in real life. Please bear with me! :3**

**I hope this penultimate (second-to-last) chapter won't bore you to death!**

Stumble Through the Dark (12)

Testimony

Riza blinked awake from her nap. She gently pried Hayate away from her face and creakily sat up. She made a sighing yawn and rubbed the stray dog hairs from her cheek.

With a small jolt in her stomach, she noticed that Roy was gone. Then she heard some bustling in the kitchen.

Riza turned, then relaxed when she saw him put away the groceries in her refrigerator.

Roy was starting to stow away a remaining item when he caught Riza's eye.

"Oh good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, sir. I had a nice nap."

Riza stiffly got up and walked carefully to the kitchen.

Hayate's nose twitched, and he eagerly dashed from the couch to join Roy and Riza.

"He must've smelled the food I was putting away." Roy laughed.

Riza reached for the can of dog food, but Roy put a hand over hers.

"I'll feed him for you." he offered. "Do you want to sleep some more? We still have a few hours until dinner."

"I'm fine. I don't feel sleepy anymore, sir."

"I'm glad that you're recovering so quickly, Riza."

She watched him pry open the lid with a can opener and shook some food into Hayate's bowl. Hayate eagerly dug into the meal with loud, quick crunches of his teeth. Roy and Riza silently watched him eat for a few seconds.

"Major General Armstrong called me this afternoon." Roy said. "She's got the earliest trial scheduled for Friday. That's two days from now. Are you fine with that?"

"Friday is good. It's not a problem with me."

Roy examined her face closely. "We don't have to go if you don't feel ready. I can tell Armstrong to postpone the date to whatever time you want."

"I don't have a problem, sir. I'll do it." she insisted again. Something had changed in her eyes. A sort of fire seared brightly in her pupils like a lantern in the night. It was as if the soldier in her had left her before, and has now returned home.

That defiant stare dispeled any doubts he might've had about her.

Roy put away the can opener, and watched Hayate eat for several more seconds.

He broke the silence awkwardly. "So...you want to do something before dinner? Maybe we can read, or clean the house...? Oh, I've got just the thing!"

Roy fished out Poems of War and Remembrance from his pocket. The corners were dog-eared and slightly torn. He figured that his fight with Seth was responsible for it.

"I still haven't finished that poem, Nefarious War."

Riza stared at him blankly for a second. Then a light flashed in her eyes as she remembered. "Oh, that's right. It was that Xingese poem you had read to me when I..." she trailed off as she also remembered the events of that awful day.

Roy quickly changed the subject by saying: "Okay, let's finish it right now. It's not that long."

They walked to the couch and sat down together. Riza leaned close to his shoulder and stared at the foreign text as Roy flipped to the right page.

"Where did I leave off...ah, here we go.

"In the battlefield men grapple each other and die;

The horses of the vanquished utter lamentable cries to heaven,

While ravens and kites peck at human entrails,

Carry them up in their flight, and hang them on the branches of dead trees.

So, men are scattered and smeared over the desert grass,

And the generals have accomplished nothing."

"That's a good poem." Riza said as Roy finished. "Many of our soldiers ought to learn from it."

"It didn't have a pretty ending." Roy laughed wryly.

Riza shrugged. "Neither did the Charge of the Light Brigade."

"At least Alfred Lord Tennyson didn't talk about man-eating crows that pin flesh to trees like drying clothes."

The poem made Roy think of Seth, instead of a soldier, being eaten alive by carrion birds. Just for a flash of an internal, murderous moment.

"Does Briggs have a giant boiler room, sir?"

Riza's sudden question scattered his dark thoughts.

"Um...yes, I believe they do. It's the lowest and hottest level of the fortress. Only strong, capable men are allowed down there."

He threw her a puzzled look. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"You're not thinking of going there, are you?"

"No, of course not, sir."

"Even if you want to, there's no way I'm letting you break your back out there. No, you're staying right where you are. With me."

Riza cracked a small smile. She missed that fond stubborness in his voice, and she felt at home upon hearing it.

Roy leafed through every page, scanned each one for a moment. Then he shut it and gazed at the cover.

"You know, every poem in this book does not contain a single happy ending."

"Yes, I know. And you, of all people, should know that too." Riza said.

"I take it that you're not a fan of romance then."

Riza shook her head.

"You don't like marriage scenes? Description of cute guys? What about the steamy sex parts?"

She put a hand to her throat, opened her mouth, stuck her tongue out.

Roy laughed at her comical imitation of puking.

"I don't know about you, but I lost my appetite from reading that poem. I think I'll just skip dinner for today."

"I'm not that hungry either. I lost my appetite when you mentioned romance."

Roy smiled again at her remark. Hearing her sharp sense of humor return was music to his ears. He hoped that she'll still come out of the trial with her faculties intact. There was no telling what Seth would say or do to get at her.

'She's no weakling. Whatever is ahead, she'll be ready for it.'

Somehow, Roy felt that he could trust that instinctive voice in his head.

Friday. Judgement Day.

Time seemed to zoom by as Roy and Riza waited for this day.

They were instructed to arrive at Central's courtroom at 8:00 AM. Both donned their military uniforms for the occasion.

As they made their way, Roy offered his hand. "Do you still have trouble walking?"

Riza gently brushed his hand off her shoulder.

"I'm fine, sir. I need to get back into shape anyway."

"Can you make it from here?"

"I'll manage."

Despite Roy's fears, Riza made it to the courtroom steps without a problem. She kept her posture straight and tall. An aura of silent pride and dignity seemed to radiate from her.

Upon entering the courtroom's hall, they met Grumman, Maria and Rebecca. They exchanged friendly greetings and hugs.

"Are you doing okay, Riza?" Maria asked as she hugged her.

"More or less." Riza replied.

Grumman gestured to the doors in front of them. "We already have Seth and his men out there. Major General Armstrong is also waiting for your arrival. Are you prepared?"

Everyone studied Riza's expression. Was she really ready to do this? Was she prepared for anything that might go horribly wrong?

Riza kept her head high and straight. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Very well. Let's go." Grumman gave his granddaughter a reassuring smile before he opened the doors.

The courtroom was a sweeping circular room, with desks that had progressively lower elevation near the podium. The overall image was nothing less of a neatly arranged crater.

A handful of Seth's men sat closest to the judge's podium. Security guards closely flanked their seats. Bald sat at the same row a little away from them. He too, had a guard monitoring him. Finally, at the center of the entire room, perched Olivier Armstrong at the podium. She held a gavel in one hand, and a stack of papers in the other. Everyone turned to the sound of opening doors.

Riza caught Seth's eye as he turned in his spot. Her heart nearly stopped. Then she quickly shifted her eyes to the eyepatch at the other side of his face. Her instincts screamed at her to turn tail and run out of the room. But she stubbornly stood her ground and brought herself to meet his eye again. A myriad of emotions ran through that one eye like a whirlpool. Riza thought he saw recognition, contempt, coldness and apprehension.

She met his gaze boldly and made a curt nod of acknowledgement. Seth said nothing. He simply turned his back to her and faced Armstrong.

A guard escorted the new arrivals to their own desks. They took a row above the criminals. Roy and Riza shared a desk at the center; Grumman, Maria and Rebecca took a larger desk off to the right.

Olivier shifted through some papers at the podium.

"We're all here now, are we not? Then let's begin."

She paused for a moment.

"I'd like detailed reports from our witnesses, Field Marshal Mustang and Lt. Colonel Hawkeye. I only want details of the attack. Any information regarding the stay at the hospital may be left confidential. We'll hear from Lt. Colonel Hawkeye first."

She prompted Riza to start with a nod.

The young Lt. Colonel rose in a single, fluid movement. Her eyes zeroed in on Olivier, and no one else. She began in a clear, unwavering voice.

"A few days after the battle in Central and the promotion of many officers, a party was held at Madame Christmas's bar. Mustang and his men wanted me to come, but I turned down the invitation. Mustang showed up at my door hours later. He asked me again, and still I said no. We argued on the porch of my apartment. I left to go grocery shopping, and Mustang headed the other way to the party. After shopping, I wanted to take the shortest route home. So I went down a junction of alleys, and met Seth along the way."

Riza paused to clear her throat, then she went on: "We talked for a little bit. Our conversation went relatively well until he mentioned our former relationship. I refused to reconcile with him, and before I could leave, his men appeared and surrounded me. I started to pull the gun from my bag, but Seth twisted my arm, grabbed the gun, and shot at my ankle. I fell, and I couldn't move. They pinned me to a wall and kept my mouth shut with a cloth. They closed all around me so I had no hope of escaping or crying for help."

Roy tried to keep calm as he listened to the firsthand account of her story. If he was this worked up, he could hardly imagine what Riza was trying to suppress.

"Seth started to strip off my clothes. He took off the shirt first. Then he took off my undershirt, my bra. And my underwear." Riza's breath hitched a little, but she strived to keep her eyes on Olivier. "His hands groped and touched every part of my body. He slapped me on the face when I tried to insult him. He took off his pants and held on to my hips so I couldn't move. Then he raped me."

Roy found it harder and harder to listen. Rage and disgust swelled in his stomach like bile, but he forced himself to hear her relate the pain she had been hiding for so long.

"He laughed and jeered as he thrusted into me several times. He stopped when his men wanted their turn. So he let each of them get a chance with me."

Riza blinked hard a couple of times and fought to hide the tremor in her voice. "I didn't know how many men there were. I lost count of how many times they drove into me. All I could remember was my pain, and their laughing. After they left, I blacked out in the alley."

Olivier nodded as she sensed the conclusion of Riza's story. Grumman, Maria and Rebecca's faces were one of sympathy and sorrow. Bald seemed passive, with a hint of curiosity in his single eye.

Olivier looked to Roy. "You may relate your story."

He rose, looked about him, and picked up where Riza had left off.

"Hawkeye's dog came to me after the party's bragging contest. He brought me an orange from the groceries Riza had bought. Lt. General Grumman, Maria and Rebecca followed me as I went after Hayate. We found her in the alley, unconscious and bleeding at the thighs."

He gritted his teeth as he drove the terrible memory from his mind.

"We called the paramedics, and she was rushed to the hospital. I believe that you have Hawkeye's medical records that give full details of every injury she had received from that night."

"Yes, I do. Her injuries had been rather serious, and she stayed at Central hospital for roughly two months."

Olivier then turned to Seth. "Well, there you have it. Do you confirm, or deny these witnesses?"

The entire room hung with a tense, heart-pounding silence.

Seth leaned back in his seat. "Their descriptions were beautiful. They speak the plain, naked truth."

Roy peered at him with perplexed shock. He was pretty sure that he wasn't the only one. Seth acted like he was at a tea party, instead of facing the possibility of an execution. There wasn't a trace of resistance or defense on Seth's face. Roy expected some cursing, some display of outrage. Seth was the kind of guy that wouldn't go down without a fight. Roy's faintly throbbing jaw made sure he didn't forget that. So why give up now?

Olivier's expression remained solid, yet her questions revealed her skepticism. "Aren't you going to say anything in your defense? You do realize that accepting the evidence could lead to your death penalty, do you?"

"I'm well aware, Major General. But I'm not going to fight for my life anymore. I've already got what I wanted."

"And what is that?" Olivier asked.

Seth pointed to Riza. "Hearing her pain. Hearing her admit it through her teeth just now. It's what I had been living for. I wanted to show dominance and control. I wanted to get revenge and break her spirit. She had to be shown that she isn't some perfect war machine, or a dictating bitch. I wanted to prove to her that she's human and weak. How can someone be considered a human if he or she doesn't feel pain first?"

At last, the reason behind his assault. Riza realized that it was much more than to achieve physical pleasure. Seth had wanted to crush her mentality, split it open and watch her agony spill out like a fresh wound.

But with a conscious effort, Riza kept her face unflinching and undaunting.

Seth's blue eye searched Riza's face as he spoke. Then he glanced back at Olivier.

"Do whatever you want with me. I've done my part."

Olivier scanned the room for the other participants of the trial.

"Now that we've heard the facts, I'd like to hear all of your decisions for Seth's fate. Do you want to hold a jury?"

"No, we've made up our minds." Grumman replied.

"I'm ready too." Bald shrugged.

Grumman stood and faced Olivier. "As a soldier, I believe that Seth's chances against the evidence are very slim. As an old withering grandfather, I've seen enough of my granddaughter's suffering. That alone gives my support to the death penalty."

Maria and Rebecca flanked Grumman's sides. "As Hawkeye's close friends, we agree with the Lt. General and also vote for the death penalty."

Bald rose and crossed his arms. "Seth prefers living property over--well, nonliving property, I suppose. I hijacked cars and trains while he collected women and kids. I know this sounds weird, coming from a criminal. But Seth crossed the line this time. Definitely the death penalty."

Olivier nodded curtly to him, then she looked to Roy.

"What's your judgement?"

"A straight trip to the gallows." Roy's answer rang without hesitation. It had taken sheer willpower to keep cool as Seth had explained his sinister motives. And now, he had just enough of the cruel, life-destroying rapist.

Olivier surveyed the entire room. "It seems that we have a unanimous vote. Seth Rhodes, you have six people and sheets of medical records that highlight your offenses. You plead guilty, and everyone has confirmed their support for your following execution." She raised the gavel to seal the case.

"Major General. Your Honor. I object to the death penalty." Riza declared.

"What?" Roy and Rebecca bursted out loud.

Olivier froze. Surprise flickered her features for a moment. Riza raised her right hand.

"You've probably assumed that I would support the execution the most. On the contrary, I'd like to offer another suggestion."

Olivier said nothing, so Riza continued. "He can't run free in Central, and he can't stay with Bald in prison either. But it's also no good to kill him. If I support the death penalty, then he'll only get what he wants. He raped me to get revenge, and it's only natural that he wants my own rage and vengeance. I strictly speak from a rational point of view, and I believe that Briggs is the best place for him."

"Why is that, Lt. Colonel?" Olivier looked genuinely intrigued.

"Your boiler rooms could use some more strong bodies. A group of working men under constant supervision would be of more use to us than a heap of hanged corpses."

'Ravens and kites that hung human entrails...the generals that have accomplished nothing...' Roy was struck with a shocking realization. The lesson of the Xingese poem was coming to life through her actions. Now it all seemed to make sense. Now he knew why she had asked him about Briggs.

Beforehand, Roy thought that her suggestion was utterly ludicrous. Now the solution was crystal clear to him. With Seth and his men so far away, Riza wouldn't have to worry about their presence. Nor would she have to stain her hands with their blood.

The idea seemed to click in Olivier's head too, because the Major General flashed a rare grin.

"I never would've thought of that, Hawkeye. Is everyone still stuck with their decision?"

"It's her call, she was the victim." Grumman replied. "And I don't see anything wrong with her idea. What do you think, Mustang?"

"I switch my vote to her favor. Her idea makes perfect sense to me now."

Olivier nodded in satisfaction and rapped the gavel on the podium.

"Then I'll make arrangements for their deployment to Briggs shortly. Case dismissed."

Everyone pushed back their chairs and rose to leave. Bald and Seth's men were led away by security guards. Grumman, Maria and Rebecca joined Roy and Riza as they departed the room.

Maria and Rebecca shot inquiring looks at their friend. "Hey Riza, whatever made you think of that? We all thought that you'd vote for the execution."

Riza was only half listening. She watched Seth being ushered out of the courtroom along with his men. Their eyes met and held. Amber against blue. She thought she saw quiet disdain, perhaps regret, and a little glint of love he might still have for her. She could never be too sure.

Riza turned to her friends and offered a secretive smile.

"I didn't want to be the flesh-eating raven. That's all."

Maria and Rebecca continued to look puzzled. But Roy smiled back. He was the only one who understood.

Riza looked back to Seth, but he had already turned away with a dismissive tip of his chin.

He was led around a corner, and she never saw him again.

**Pacifists rejoice! I bet there are plenty of people disappointed in Seth's life being spared. But for the sake of not giving anything away, don't be too down in the dumps just yet. :) The next, and last, chapter will (hopefully) wrap the story up.**


	13. The Light That Saved

**The last chapter! I hope ya like. :)**

Stumble Through the Dark (13)  
The Light That Saved

A period of relatively peaceful dullness had passed since the trial. Riza still needed some time at home before she could go to work.

Roy lounged in his apartment now, with a few slips of yet-to-be-signed paperwork out before him. His work ethic synchronized with the month's lull of activity, so he was forced to complete them at home. He huffed a casual sigh, and the papers scattered like startled birds.

One of them swooped and looped toward his door until it fluttered to a stop on the floor.  
He slowly rose and ambled over to retrieve it. As he bent down, he noticed a pair of unopened envelopes next to the slip.

'I've got mail? I guess I'm too lazy to even check that.'

Roy slapped the envelopes over his paper before he walked back to his desk. He held the letters close to his face. Both were addressed to his apartment from Briggs. A different date was scribbled on each one. Roy opened the first one to find a letter with clumsy, scrawling handwriting. Many of the lines zipped off to the side, and messy ink blots dotted the paper. Probably because Buccaneer kept crushing little pens between his huge fingers. Roy inwardly smirked at the amusing thought. Then he began reading:

To Field Marshal Roy Mustang,

Judging from the time it took for this to get to you from Briggs, it's been almost a month since Seth moved in with us. Rest assured, we drove him hard with long hours in the boiling room. We kept him working and sweating 24/7. He's always supervised by at least 4 other guys.  
The rest of his cronies are stationed at the farthest proximities of the fort. We often send them on border patrols in below-zero temperatures. It sure keeps them on their dirty toes.  
The Ice Queen, Major Miles and I were hoping that you'd be satisfied with these arrangements.

-Captain Buccaneer

P.S: You owe me a contest rematch! Last time was just beginner's luck.

Roy mused for a moment after he stopped reading. 'This letter was sitting in my box for two months now. I wonder what the other one says...'  
He opened the second letter, which was also handwritten by the bear-like Captain.

To Field Marshal Roy Mustang,

It's been nearly two months, and you still didn't write back. But it's okay, I'm not some girly pansy who's dying for a love letter from you. So I'll just jump straight to my report anyway.

Activity at Briggs had been fine and dandy. That is, until old Seth got himself into an accident. Apparently, Seth thought he might run an engine all by himself. I understand his need for bragging rights. But here at Briggs, that can easily cross the line into sheer stupidity. Seth got a hand caught in one of the running gears and-you guessed it, that machine sucked in the rest of his body like a crazy straw. The poor idiot was a tangle of broken bones before we could get to him. He was janked up in there so bad, he ruined our beautiful, insanely expensive piece of machinery.  
We were going to give him a piece of our mind, but it's no use yelling at a corpse that looked like headless shredded cheese.  
Am I making you sick? Get over it, Central softie. We Briggs soldiers have seen worse when you put a grizzly bear in the same room with a bunch of Drachmacian spies. I was thinking you'd might be even overjoyed by this little piece of news.

Hope all is well with Lt. Colonel Hawkeye. The Major General wants the tough little cookie to get better soon, so she could keep an eye on an idiot like you.

-Captain Buccaneer

P.S: You owe me a rematch _and_ a reply letter, you douche.

It took Roy three more reads to fully register everything Buccaneer had written. He nearly reeled from the shock that electrified his nerves.  
Seth was dead. Killed and shredded in a machine accident. Roy couldn't think of a more disturbing and terrible death, even for a rapist.  
But then he thought of Seth's grin when he had asked how good he messed her up...Riza's blood seeping through her thighs...her lifeless face...her urge to kill herself and just end it all. He thought of Omar, Jamal, and his daughter too. God knows what would happen if that gang still ran their village.  
Riza was better off without Seth's input of torture and misery. Everyone was.  
He was dead and gone, unable to hurt another living soul.  
Roy leaned back in his chair and turned his head to the side in a napping position. For the first time in weeks, months, he felt peace. This month had been peaceful all right. But it had been lazy, uneventful peace. Now a gentle wave of content seemed to overlap that.

'I can finally get my eight hours of sleep.'

He saw Riza's beautiful smile and that strong light in her eyes. Then he knew. Deep down, he knew that he was going to get much, much more than sleep. He wistfully smiled, buoyed by the certain fact that Riza's wounds would close up and heal. She would go on one day as if Seth had never existed. She had stumbled through the dark before. He was certain now, that she has found the light at the end of the cave.

_He was the light that saved._


End file.
